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Whether
you support the war on terrorism and tyranny taking place in Iraq,
Afghanistan and other parts of the world or not, we believe
that it is our patriotic duty to support our service men and
women where ever they are. To help keep their morale up and
give them a little piece of an American holiday tradition
while they are overseas, we like to send one or more
soldiers a "Halloween in a Box" care package.
These care
packages include a variety of Halloween related items such
as Halloween candy and cookies, an assortment of simple
Halloween decorations, a Halloween mask and a few other
goodies. This will help them celebrate an American
tradition, even if in a small way, with their fellow
soldiers.
 Choosing a
Soldier
You can send a "Halloween in a Box" care package
or gift box to a
soldier that is a friend, a family member, from your
hometown, or you can adopt a soldier through a variety of
organizations (see Useful Information below). While we use
the word soldier throughout this article, we encourage you
to send "Halloween in a Box" care packages to more than one
soldier if you can.
What to
Send
Treats - All edibles, including Halloween candy should be in
its original packaging and unopened. Take the packages of
candy and place them in Zip-Lok bags for added protection. A
seasonal bag of mixed candy and packaged Halloween cookies
work well, too. If you send chocolate candy, double bag it
in case it melts en-route. For safety reasons, avoid sending
homemade treats unless you are sending the package to a
soldier that knows you personally or is a family member.
 Paper
Halloween decorations pack flat and are light weight. They
should be light hearted and never on the gruesome
side. Halloween balloons and banners. If you send a
Halloween mask, make sure that it is the type that fits over
the face only, and is not the over-the-head type. It is
important that it can be removed quickly if necessary, after
all, they are soldiers and are in a combat zone.
Lastly,
include a "Happy Halloween" card with a few thoughts hand
written in the card. You could also include some of your own
Halloween pictures from the year before.
Here's
a list of what we like to send:
Plastic
Jack O' Lantern Pail
Extra Large bag(s) of Mixed Halloween Candy
On-the-face Halloween masks
"Happy Halloween" banner
Pack of Halloween balloons
Bright Colored "Silly String" (this is an important
one!)
International Phone Card (so they can call their family
on Halloween)
Halloween Greeting Card
Sending
Your Package
Packages to overseas military units must be sent via the US
Postal Service. It is important to remember that it takes
more time for a package to reach a soldier who is stationed
overseas than normal. Try to send our your package or
packages at least a month before Halloween. Be sure to
wrap packages securely. Avoid liquid-filled containers as
they tend to break and/or leak. Label the package properly and
make sure that you list
all of its contents. There is a space on the customs form to
declare whether it is a gift or merchandise.
Get Others
Involved
Be sure to let your friends, family, women's groups, church
and co-workers know what you are doing and encourage them to
do the same.
Useful
Information
Below are just a few of the groups that help to support our
troops and offer more information:
My
Soldier *
Soldiers Angels *
Any Soldier
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