| Current Needs | Guidelines and Restrictions
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Food and Beverages
We are not currently accepting food/beverage items due to concerns about expiration prior to our November 2019 shipment. We can accept bagged coffee, K-Cups, and teas that do not expire until 2020.
- Water flavor-enhancement packets or drops
- Ground Coffee, Hot Chocolate and Teas: Bagged, Boxed, Starbucks VIA sticks or Keurig K-Cups
- Protein bars and shake mixes; healthy bars like Clif, Luna, KIND, and similar items
- "Sturdy" Individual snacks (pretzels, cheese crackers, granola bars, trail mix, nuts, dried fruits, Pop Tarts, instant oatmeal, cookies - things that won't be crushed by the time they arrive!)
- Small microwaveable shelf-stable meals and canned goods (mac 'n cheese, spaghetti, noodles, rice, veggies)
| For the safety of our military men and women, and out of respect for the customs of the nations in which they're stationed, we require food and beverages: - Must be unopened, undamaged and in original packaging; shelf-stable, no refrigeration required
- Must not have an expiration date earlier than January 15, 2019. Absolutely no expired products are allowed
- Must be able to fit in a 12"x12"x5.5" box or be split out into separate manufacturer-sealed packages for packing
- Must not be homemade items or home-packaged/sealed
- MUST NOT CONTAIN ALCOHOL, PORK, OR PORK BY-PRODUCTS
| Personal Care Items - Currently being accepted
- Travel-sized toiletries from hotel stays are AWESOME!
- Shampoo/Conditioner for men and women
- Hair care products for men and women of color
- Body Wash and Bar soap for men and women
- Deodorant for men and women
- Moisturizing Lotion
- Body and Foot Powder, also Medicated Foot powder
- Disposable Razors
- Q-Tips
- Baby and Adult-sized Body Wipes
- Toothbrushes (soft), Toothpaste, and Dental Floss
- Sunscreen Lip Balm and Lotion
- Non-alcohol mouthwash
- Laundry Detergent Pods and Dryer Sheets
- Feminine protection, tampons, maxi pads, mini pads (individually wrapped is best) If you're of an age where you don't need these anymore, but have leftovers, consider donating them!
- small lens cleaning cloths
| - Must be unopened, unused (because believe it or not...), and in original packaging
- From travel-sizes up to smaller full size versions of products. Soldiers don't always have room for club-sized bottles and can't travel with them.
- NO ALCOHOL - so that means no hand sanitizers and no mouthwashes, facial toners, or other liquid items with alcohol listed as the primary ingredient.
- NO AEROSOLS - this includes many shaving creams
Tip: Female soldiers and sailors often request items that they term "girlie" and we love to comply! We're happy to receive and send items like luxury-scented hair and skincare items, facial masks, sleep masks, soft shower puffs, brushes, nail files, and other niceties.
| Morale Boosters and Miscellaneous Supplies - Currently being accepted (except magazines)
- Board Games and other Small Games, complete with all parts/pieces/instructions; all components must fit in a 5.5" high x 12"square box. We can repackage in baggies to help.
- Complete Jigsaw Puzzles
- Good quality used paperback books of interest to men and women (action/adventure, mystery, history, general fiction). No Harlequin Romances, no hard-cover books. Consider the readers will be primarily 18-40 years of age.
- Magazines (women's and men's interests, sports, celebrity news, US/World News) Should be timely (current month) as only old copies of Readers Digest and National Geographic age well.
- Greeting Cards (holiday, birthday, thinking of you, and Blank Note Cards) or stationery so they can write home. No used cards or items in which there is already writing.
- Writing utensils - pencils, pens
- Holiday Decorations that will fit into our 12"x12"x5.5" box (small ornaments, tinsel, New Year's eve favors, and items for birthdays and other national holidays)
- New or gently used DVD movies that are appropriate and meet our guidelines. Again, remember these are primarily young men and women.
| - No obscene or pornographic material, including some questionable romance book covers (but no outdated Harlequin romances, either!)
- No Political Materials
- No bulk quantities of religious materials for any faith, though cards, messages, and decor related to religious holidays, like Christmas, Hannukah, etc are very acceptable and enjoyed by the recipients.
- No incomplete games or puzzles
- No VHS or audio tapes
- No copied, pirated, or bootlegged DVDs or music CDs
- No decorations or other items that require batteries
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