TroopCarePackage.com in the The Charleston Gazette newspaper

TroopCarePackage.com in the news again-read the article below.



June 30, 2006
Something for the troops
Shipping care packages has never been easier


By Joe Morris
Staff writer

Anyone can slap a bumper sticker on his car and say he “supports the troops.” But that really doesn’t do the soldiers much good.

If you want to do them a favor, send a phone card their way, or a box of microwave popcorn or some nail polish.

Angel Ramsey has helped send all of the above, and nearly 2,400 other things requested by service personnel stationed overseas.

“As long as this is going on, I’m going to do what I can to help,” says Ramsey of Morrisdale, Pa.

A couple of Ramsey’s graphic-designer co-workers at the Clearfield Progress newspaper in Central Pennsylvania put together a care package for their sons last year. The thank-you note from one mentioned that many of his fellow troops never got such treats.

“I knew then that there was something I could do,” said Ramsey, 24.

What she did, beginning last October, was start making contacts with soldiers who have personal Web pages on the MySpace.com Web network, asking if any would like to get care packages. Her own Web site, www.troopcarepackage.com, has information forms for donors to fill out. Ramsey then matches donors with soldiers, supplying the donors with names, addresses and a list of requested items.

Though Ramsey herself has no relatives serving in the military, she spends about two hours every night working on orders, with help from her husband and sister.

Most of the shipments have been going to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, but Ramsey has also connected donors with soldiers in Korea and elsewhere overseas, she said.

Food items are the top request, especially favorite candy bars and drinks that can’t be had outside the United States, Ramsey said. Many soldiers also ask for squirt guns, mini-fans, sunscreen and other things to help beat the heat, she said.

Ramsey’s site has even drawn corporate donors, like Blistex Inc., which gave 50 packs of lip balm; Hershey Co., which donated 2,500 Ice Breakers mints; and the WD-40 Co., giver of 200 packets of Lava soap.

The Postal Service is doing its part to simplify things for troop donors, too.

For about three years now, it has been giving away “Mili-kits,” or shipping supplies for troop care packages.

The kits are made up of variously sized shipping boxes, address labels, a roll of Priority Mail tape and customs forms with envelopes.

To get a kit, call (800) 610-8734, then select “Option 1,” for “Express Mail, Priority Mail or Global Express Guaranteed products.” When you reach a live agent, request Care Kit 04 or Military Care Kit. Your postal carrier will deliver the kit in seven to 10 days.

The Postal Service decided to start supplying the kits to make it easier for families to send packages to troops, said Tim Kievit, a spokesman for the Postal Service in Washington, D.C.

“It can be overwhelming sometimes when you go to the post office,” with all the boxes and other options to choose from, Kievit said. “This lets you prepare your package at home.”

Both of Ramsey’s co-workers with sons serving will welcome them back home for good in just a few days, but Ramsey said the job’s not done.

“There’s still a lot over there, and still a lot going back.”

To contact staff writer Joe Morris, use e-mail or call 348-5179.

What do they want?

Here’s a list of some of the items that troops have requested through Angel Ramsey’s www.troopcarepackage.com Web site.

Food: Instant coffee; powdered Gatorade; powdered hot chocolate; Kool-Aid (presweetened); tea bags; Slim Jim’s; single servings of bagged chips; hard candy; Little Debbie snack cakes; bubble gum; Rice Krispie Treats; dry cereal; Kraft Easy Mac; microwave popcorn; granola bars; PowerBars; dried fruit; Chex Mix.

Personal items: Clorox wipes; razors and shaving cream; shampoo and conditioner; after-shave lotion; soap and body wash; mouthwash; deodorant; T-shirts, underwear and socks; thirsty towels; eye drops; lip balm; sun block; feminine hygiene products (tampons and panty liners); hair bands and hair clips; nail polish; insecticide.

Practical items: Batteries; stress balls; paper and envelopes; AT&T phone cards; paperback books and magazines; disposable cameras and film; puzzles, comics and local newspapers; yo-yos; squirt guns; Frisbees; dart boards; small flashlights; hacky sacks; mini-fans; hats; bandannas; wool blankets; CDs and DVDs.

Items for troops to give to Iraqi children: Shoes; soccer balls; Frisbees; sunglasses; Potato Stix; bubble gum; snack mixes; peanuts and pretzels; Goldfish crackers.

Source: TroopCarePackage.com