Our Troops Need Us

FOOD, SNACKS AND DRINKS:

• BEEF JERKY / SLIM JIMS

• COFFEE (Ground or whole; instant or drip. Ground is preferred)
• POWDER DRINK MIX (Gatorade, Kool-Aid, Crystal Light)
• SUNFLOWER SEEDS & PUMPKIN SEEDS
• TUNA & CHICKEN SALAD (in foil pouches, or ready-to-eat kits (no cans)
• PROTEIN POWDER & PROTEIN BARS

• CHOCOLATE PRODUCTS accepted from OCTOBER through MARCH (it will melt in high temperatures!)

• Hot Chocolate packets, Herbal teas

• Hard Pretzels / Cheetos / Fritos / Chex Mix / Wheat Thins / Ritz

• Gum / Hard Candy (must be individually wrapped in large bags)

• Granola Bars / Power Bars / Cereal Bars / Cliff Bars

• Fig Newtons, Oreos, Cheese & Crackers – Small Packs

• Trail Mix, Dried Fruit, Granola, Fruit Roll-Ups / Fruit By The Foot / Fruit Gummies

• DRY SOUP: (Ramen Noodles / Cup-O-Soup: just add water)

• NUTS: Peanuts, Mixed Nuts (salted preferred)

• MICROWAVE FOOD (Popcorn, Chef-Boy-R-Dee, Mac’n’Cheese…)

• COOKIES / Girl Scout Cookies (with chocolate: Oct. – Feb. only!)

• Rice Krispie Treats (Store-bought only)

• Little Debbies® & Hostess® cake products

• Oatmeal Packs (Instant: just add water)

• Cereal (Small, individual boxes)

• Condiments, Spices; Sugar; Salad Dressing (no glass jars)
• Caffeinated gum or candy (to stay alert)

TOILETRIES: NO HOTEL SAMPLES!
(Note: Some troops have allergies & need Brand Name toiletries which list all ingredients. The military issues and/or sells toiletries to our troops, however troops often miss their favorite brand of shampoo or soap. Our goal is to send troops reminders of home & items they miss … not free samples.)

• BABY WIPES (travel size)

• HAND SANITIZER (travel size)

• Body Wash, Liquid Soap, Facial Cleanser

• Shampoo /Conditioner (travel size)
• Hair Gel (for female troops to pull hair back)

• Combs / Brushes / Bobby Pins (in original packaging, please)

• Deodorant (travel size)
• Razors (disposable or “Intuition” or “Mach 3” types)
• Shaving Cream in Tubes / Shaving Soap (No CANS of Shaving Cream, please!)

• Lip balm / Chap Stick / Carmex / Blistex

• Baby Powder & Foot Powder (travel size)

• Tissues (individual packs; travel size only)
• Hand & Body Lotion / Moisturizer (travel size)

• Sunblock, SPF 45, Zinc, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera Gel

• Bug Spray / DEET / Skin-So-Soft

• Mouthwash (travel size)

• Toothpaste & Toothbrushes & Dental Floss

• Breath Mints / Breath Strips

• Lozenges / Cough Drops
• Loufa Sponges / Buff Puffs / Washcloths

• Nail files / Emery Boards / Nail Clippers

• Feminine Hygiene Products
• Cotton Swabs (i.e. Q-tips) – also used to clean guns!

• Cotton Balls

• Band-aids, Gauze Pads, First Aid Kits / Ace bandages, Icy Hot or Bengay cream

• Moleskin
• Shoe Insole Cushions (gel kind is best)
• Tylenol, Motrin, Advil or Aspirin Packets
• Eye Drops (i.e. Visine)
• Nasal Spray
• Vitamins (multi-vitamins are always needed!)

ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS:

• BATTERIES: (AA, AAA, C & 9 Volt are the most requested)

• DVD Movies (new or used – recent releases only, please!)

• Xbox Games, PSP, PS2 & PS3 Games (new or used)
• iTunes® Gift Cards
• 35 mm disposable cameras
• Computer Flash Drives & Thumb Drives
• Portable CD players / head phones
• Electronic handheld games

• Small homemade gifts – reminders & comforts of “home”

• Small photographs or posters of scenery for their tents & walls

• Pens & mechanical pencils, small note pads

• Stationery & Envelopes; blank cards to send home

• Double-sided tape, small crafts kits, scrap-booking items

• Day planners / Calendars / Small, Pocket Calendars

• Game Books: (Crossword Puzzles / Word Search Books / Math Puzzle books / MAD LIBS / Logic Problems / Sudoku)
• Yo-Yo’s, Dominoes, Playing Cards (new), Poker Chips & Mats, Dice
• Board games (UNO, Othello, Checkers – travel size is great, too!)
• Dart Boards (regular or magnetic – any size)

• Nerf Footballs / Whiffle bats, balls & Mitts / Sports equipment

• Frisbees / Hackey sacks

• Music CDs, Magazines & Books (Accepted ONLY at our NORTH CAROLINA BRANCH)

OTHER:

• LINENS: Pillow cases, twin sheets, towels (green & tan)
• T-SHIRTS: Cotton green & tan under shirts – new (Sizes: M, L & XL)
   [Note: The DOD banned “Under-Armor” shirts due to its material being potentially flammable & bad reactions to open wounds.]
• LAUNDRY DETERGENT & FABRIC SOFTENER SHEETS: (Click HERE for types)
• FLASHLIGHTS – SMALL(battery operated. Surefire Brand preferred)

• AIR FRESHENERS (standalone-not plug-in. Car types are also good)

• SOCKS: Black, Olive Green & White (cotton or wool)
• PHONE CARDS – Pre-Paid (Click HERE for Where to Buy and What Types of Phone Cards to Buy from Third-Party Vendors)
• Gift Cards to send home to loved ones (for Restaurants, Supermarkets)

• Small toys (Beanie babies) & school supplies for Iraqi & Afghan children

• Patriotic knick-knacks, USA flags, flags from your state, bandanas, baseball hats, football jerseys, banners to tack on their walls or tents.
• Black or Green duct tape, small tool kits, dust masks, carpentry tools, Fly swatters, fly paper, mosquito netting, bug repellent in plastic pump bottles only           (NO AEROSOL CANS, PLEASE!)
• Paint brushes, adhesive wall hooks, sponges
• Gun cleaning supplies (lube) such as Militec-1 & CLP
• Generic sunglasses (Ballistic, black only. No “mirror” types)
• Alarm Clocks (Small in size; wind-up or battery-operated)
• Small, portable heaters & fans (110 voltage okay)
• Fleece Blankets (Yes, it gets very cold in the winter over there!!)
• Disposable Hand warmers and Foot warmers (in the wintertime)
• Winter Hats (Yes, it snows in the winter over there! Hand knitted hats in black, tan or green are always welcome!)
• Water Bottles, Travel Mugs & Thermoses with Lids, (for Coffee, Tea & Soup)
• Coffee Makers & Filters (110 voltage okay)
• Coffee Bean Grinders – small (electric or battery-operated)
• Microwave Ovens (55 pounds max; 110 voltage okay)
• Hot Pots – Small
• Elixir & Water Purification Tablets for Camelbaks
• Combat Application Tourniquets (black only)
• Religious booklets, small bibles, inspirational readings
• Holiday and Seasonal Decorations – see our PROGRAMS PAGE for details

• K-9 items:
  Dog treats, toys, shampoo, flea collars, etc.
  (Note: CLICK HERE to see our restrictions and guidelines if you wish to donate items to the dogs. Thank you.)

• CARDS & LETTERS: The troops love to hear from all of us and Mail brightens their days!  These are the MOST IMPORTANTitems we can send the troops & we can never have too many, so please keep writing! consider making a patriotic banner or poster to send inside one of our care packages!Note: Our troops do not need stamps as they’re in war zones & may send mail home to their loved ones at no charge, but our branches can always use stamps to send correspondence