Guys/Gals,

Please list what the donation is and what region of the state you are in, in this thread. Please try and keep the chit chat to a minimum in this thread so its easy to navigate through all of the donations..

THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE. LETS MAKE THIS THE BEST CHRISTMAS FOR THESE FOLKS WE POSSIBLY CAN..

Chris

One subscription to Sports Illustrated
One subscription to North American Hunter
Panhandle of Florida

Could we stickey this at the top?

PM me an address and I will send a bunch of woundseal stick packs to whom ever is putting the shipment together.

Done.

bamagun12 - the way I have done this in the past is give out my address and paypal account and let people donate money. You post up a running total of the money here so people can verify that funds were received. You give a deadline for sending in donations. Once the deadline passes, go to WalMart or another store and ask for the GM. Tell him what you are doing and explain that everything you are buying is for a care package and ask them if they have any discounts they can offer you since it is for charitable purposes. Maybe they do or maybe they don't. It really is hit or miss. Don't expect much - 5% or 10% max. At that point, I go to the housewares section and get a large tupperware resealable tote or two. Then I go shopping. I typically get drink mix packs, LOTS of jerky, individually wrapped snacks, non-melting candies, etc. As I put stuff in the buggy, I actually put it into the tote(s) so I know how full they are and how much more they will hold. I also keep track of the cost via calculator to stay in budget as best I can. Once I get the stuff home, take some pics before you pack it up so you can post them here. Once packed, seal it up with some clear packing tape (all the way around the edge of the lid to keep sand/dust out), then wrap it a few times in each direction to make sure the lid stays on. I then usually send it priority mail, but as Wiley mentioned, it might be better to do Parcel Post. I've found that the above process works really well (done it probably a dozen times now).

By sending checks or electronic "donations" or "gifts", there is very little cost involved other than the funds. That way, people can literally make a few clicks on the computer and not have to pack stuff up and stand in line at the post office to pay $10+ to send you stuff, just for you to repack them and pay for shipment again. Some people have helped that way in the past, and it's definitely up to them. It's typically much quicker, cheaper, and easier to accept donations and buy in bulk all at once.

Thanks for doing this, and I will help in any way possible! I'm in Fairhope, so just let me know if you need a hand.

Bamagun, here is a list I found online, can you tell me if this looks like stuff you would want to see? Just trying to get an idea of what you would actually like to see while you were deployed.

Baby Wipes
Phone Cards
Magazines
Books
Movies
Hand Warmers
Foot Warmers
Tooth Brushes
Mouthwash
Frebreeze
Body Wash
Body Spray
Pringles
Crackers
Cookies
Beef Jerkey
Comic Books
Travel Size Games (chess, checkers)
Deck of Cards
Memory Cards (i.e. PSP's)
Memory Sticks
Suntan Lotion
Non Carbonated Drinks (Propel)
Uniform T-shirts (which can either be ordered on line
from AAFES or bought at the PX)
Underwear
Pictures From Home
Thumb Tack (to hang the pictures)
Hard Candy
Blue and Black Pens
Notebooks
Evelopes
Fly Paper (some areas where the soldiers live have lots of flies)
A multi-tool or really good folding knife
Sun Glasses
Digital or Disposable Cameras
Travel Size Packets of Laundry Detergent
Powdered Drinks, especially Gatorade
Blank Writable CD's
Crossword Puzzles, Word Searches, Soduku

I sent one to a co-worker deployed a couple years ago. Went to my dentist and told them what i was doing and they gave me enough brushes, floss and paste to care for everyone in iranasghanistan! just an idea...

Hey yall,

Sorry for the delay in getting on here, but I had to go out of town last minute last week. I am hoping someone can take the lead on this because it looks like I will be heading out (I will be going over there myself) the start of Novemeber and wont be returning until late winter. I wasnt plannning on taking this job, but two other contracts fell through and I have to pay the bills.. I know its a big undertaking, but is there anyone out there that is willing to step up and take the lead on this? I will continue to help out as much as I can until I leave. And for everyone else asking about what items to donate and such, from experience, it doesnt matter what you pack into a box and send over there. All that mattered to us, was that there was a box to open up. It could have been filled with half finished crossword puzzles and it would have put a smile on my face.. Please let me know what yall think..

Sorry......

I am here (Afghanistan) now for a couple more weeks been here for 9 months. I will home in time to enjoy muzzleloader season! If you need an address to send some stuff to I can provide one. As the Acting 1st Sergeant for the Expeditionary Special Tactics Squadron I know the guys we have in the field would appreciate those items. These guys are the bad a$$ guys dropping bombs and slinging bullets taking out the bad guys. Let me know! RTR!!!!

Marks,

Shoot me an email at the address I PM'd you. I would like to know who you are working with/for... I will be over there this winter, more than likely supporting yall..

It gets cold here in the winter!! Bring lots of warm cloths.

Sorry, I kind of lost this thread. I ended up sending stuff to my cousin and his company! Come on guys, lets support our troops in any way you can!