OT - Stuff for soldiers

I've sent many boxes to anysoldier.com. (Some of them have requested hand quilting items!) You have to have an address and a person to send to so if you have the student's information, you can send stuff to him.

Got to anysoldier.com to find out the restrictions. Some basic ones are no p*rn and no pork. One thing everyone always wants is baby wipes (they use them to clean themselves and their weapons). No chocolate in warm weather and bag foods and lotions separately.

Good for you for doing this!

-- Anita --

From the website

: IDEAS FOR CARE PACKAGES Powdered Kool-Aid and Gatorade Batteries Magazines Beef jerky Baby wipes Hand-held games CDs and CD players DVDs and DVD players Paperbacks Cookies or chips Snacks of any kind - but especially ones that don't melt!

*It is recommended that the following not be included in care packages: pork products, pornography or items of a "sexual nature," sharp objects, and alcohol. Include your return address on the package so it is not misidentified as a "suspicious" package.

You can also get ideas at

...this is a link that shows you what goes into some of the care packages: Another site for ideas: And another one: There are more, but you can just do search for "care packages for soldiers" which is what I did.

No, I didn't mark this Off Topic, because it involves quilts/blankets. I recently received an email from the head coordinator of this organization. They stuff backpacks full of things for injured soldiers that are being transported to military hospitals aboard "sewer pipes with wings" (a quote of a veteran in my church).

Here are the guidelines:

1. Size: 36/45" wide by 45/50" long.

1. Fabrics: fleece, knitted/crocheted, or quilted cotton/flannel with batting.

If using double sided fleece, please finish the edges. If using single sided fleece, please back with another fabric. If using purchased fleece blankets, please personalize with buttons, appliqué, etc. If you are doing something with batting you can tack with embroidery thread or buttons to keep the batting in place instead of quilting.

1. Colors: Most recipients are men. Bright/patriotic colors are good.

1. Finish off: Roll each one, tie with a ribbon, and tag with a note: "Made with love and hope for your recovery by (your name) from Soldiers? Angels". You may want to include your email address.

2. HAVE FUN!!! This is an ongoing project! THANK YOU for your support of our wounded and ill soldiers.

blankets of hope link will give you anything else you need to know and will show you what the backpacks look like. So.....if any of you want to help out and use up fabrics that you have no other use for, PLEASE do so!! I can give you the current address that is accepting the blankets as they are in urgent need, or you can send them to me and I will get a massive box ready to go.

Larisa, proud wife of a Navy veteran, SIL to another, daughter and grand-daughter of Army Veterans, and niece to both an Air Force veteran (deceased) and a Marine veteran

A Local Postcard from your area A very small toy checkers game Airheads taffy Alka Seltzer Antibacterial Handwash Anything patriotic Assorted Crackers Assorted Packettes of condiments Baby powder is good in dry hot climates Bandaids- fun ones Beef jerky Brownies Bubbles Candy appropriate to season Candy Bars Chapstick Cheese curls Clothespins Coffee Paks, instant Cold & Flu Hot Liquid Pak Cookies Cough drops Crackers & Cheese Packettes Crakers & Peanut Butter Packettes Crossword Puzzle books Crunch & Munch Type of snacks Cube Games Deck of Cards reg. and mini Disposable Camera Doritos Butterfly bandaids Face Powder Sheets Facial Cleanser Fizzies foot powder Greeting cards appropriate to season Gum Hand Lotion Handy wipes, Wet Ones Heat Pack Heavy duty socks Highlighters Homebaked items Hometown newspaper possible subscription here Hot Chocolate packs Hot Tamales, the candy Kleenex Lifesavers Lint Roller Listerine Sheets Little candle in a tin Luden's cherry cough drops M&Ms Magazines Mentos Notepads Notes of encouragement Pain Reliever Paperback Books Patriotic T-shirt Pens Phone Card Pictures from home, If the kids cannot be there for a holiday take pictures to send to them Popcorn Pringles Ramen Noodles Razors Reading material is always good Refrigerator magnet of American Flag Salt & Pepper SASE with notecard Scented Candles Shaving Stuff Silly Putty Slim Jims Small box- Russell Stover Candy Small packages of sugar & Creamer Snack bags of Chex Mix, Chips, Etc Snack Pack Cookies Soap Socks Sore Throat Tablets Stationary, Envelopes, Stamps Sunday Comics Sweetened Koolaid Envelopes Tang Tape Tea Bags The pads or spray of the Avon stuff Skin so soft for bugs The Sky's the limit Tic tacs Tins of Altoids Tobasco Sauce- small Toothbrush Travel size Q-tips Travelpak of Wipes Tuna Pouches Twinkies Tylenol samples Unbreakable container of Salsa/Cheese Videos especially overseas most of us have pay per view tape the movies and send them off they don't get to see them as fast as we do Vitamin C Drops Water Blaster Squirt Guns small Weekly World News Whitman Samplers Whoopie Cushion Wooden airplanes Word search books PEANUTBUTTER DRIED FRUIT FIG NEWTONS BREAKFAST BARS POWER BARS BUBBLE GUM SMALL CANS OF TUNA W/CRACKERS VIENNA SAUSAGES MOLE-SKIN, FOR BLISTERS OR BLISTER BANDAIDES NO AIRESOLE CANS NERF BALL HACKY SAC JIGSAW PUZZleS hygiene products(deoderant, toothpaste, razors, soap, shampoo, toilet paper) deployment papers have a size limit:

42H x Combined W+L of no more than 72 inches

#7 box, biggest square box they make, is suggested

Thanks for the website and the suggestions. I didn't know this organization existed.

:-)

DS wants us to adopt not only a soldier AND sailor, but he wants us to adopt their immediate families as well...for someone so young, he has such a big heart (6yrs old). I am researching into that tonight - have

12 garden flags almost finished, repaired DDs favorite jacket, stitched up 1 Blanket of Hope.....need a sewing machine noise break. Might get more blocks cut for more Blankets of Hope, but I *really* need to take a shower when DH gets home (I've been in the sewing room all day, wearing my fleece jammies, and it tends to be the hottest room in the house, not making a personal hygiene comment, just clarifying that I've been literally working in a sweatshop today).

Larisa, rambling and in need of food......

I don't know how you do it Larisa. I'm exhausted just reading about all that you do. I want your stamina! Thanks again for posting the websites. I'm off to the post office tomorrow ;o)

They are not allowed to have homemade food-- I am in the process of starting to collect for a young man who is a friend of my DD. Last year we sent packages to one of our sorority sisters who was at Camp Liberty. Things she said they like:

coffee creamers paper back books candy-- NOT CHOCOLATE if it is hot as the heat is beastly over there postcards letters copies of good e-mail jokes chewing gum books on tape cd's

Debbi in SO CA

C> I think there was someone on here that was collecting items to send to the

Easy, sleep is just an illusion. I'm told that I have quite obviously fallen asleep because DH hears me snoring, so it must happen at some time, btu I just don't know about it.

The flags have been spaced out over several days - and I just found out there are more orders waiting at school. But, this weekend, DH took the kids for me so I could sew and sew and sew

They may not be allowed to have homemade foods from strangers but we sent my step-nephew home made cookies and candies all the time, he just got home this weekend, been gone over a year. I have yet to see him but can't wait to do so.

Jacquel>They are not allowed to have homemade food-- I am in the process of