Military Care Packages for the Holidays!

It is less than three months to Christmas, ClearedJobs.Net, a veteran-owned job board company exclusively serving the security cleared community, wants to remind anyone who supports the U.S. military, military spouses and the military community at large that now is the time to put together items for holiday-related and Christmas gift care packages.

ClearedJobs.Net has actively provided care packages to U.S. military personnel overseas for the last four years and will continue its yearly military care package send-away as the need continues. Packages sent by the ClearedJobs.Net team are often sent to military members of its own security cleared professional community and former staff members now serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa. Other care packages sent by the online job board have been sent to women Marines during the last Christmas season and even military working dogs in Iraq.

For 2009, ClearedJobs.Net will spread the holiday cheer globally, locally and personally. Some of the holiday outreach for this year’s holiday season includes:

 Global military care package distribution
Working with Operation Gratitude, a non-profit, volunteer organization that sends more than 100,000 care packages per year, ClearedJobs.Net will send out care packages.

 Local military care packages
ClearedJobs.Net will be adopting several Marine families through USMC Henderson Hall which serves serve Marines and Marine families in the National Capital Region.

 Military care packages to be sent to personal (and canine) connections
ClearedJobs.Net will sent out its regular military care shipments addressed to countless of military friends and families who are serving overseas. A new care package shipment for military working dogs will also be sent to Iraq.

Over the years ClearedJobs.Net has collected lists of items that are needed by U.S. troops overseas. Below is a list of items and instructions for anyone interested in sending out their own care packages to military personnel serving abroad:

5 Tips for Sending Military Care Packages

 When sending care packages to U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy sailors, try to keep them as light as possible.

 Though it can be a hassle, if you have a lot you wish to send, break the items up into multiple boxes. When large boxes are sent and are heavy (or have lots of empty space), they have a tendency to get crushed and damaged en route.

 Whatever type of box you use, ensure the items are well packed and padded if needed. This will reduce the damage to items and the box during shipment.

 Remember, once your package gets into Afghanistan, its no longer being handled by UPS or Fedex. It’s now another box to be moved from point A to point B to ensure delivery.

 When using packing materials, newspaper, ‘balloon packs’ and styrafoam (sheets) tend to work the best. Try to avoid the packing ‘peanuts’ if possible. These will end up not only departing the box once a corner is broken, but will also fly out everywhere in the winds out in the field when the box is opened and items are pulled out.

Military Care Packages:
Items Most Needed and Wanted

For the list below, when it comes to ‘cleaning’ items, please work together and keep the amounts to small quantities. Remember, you are usually providing care items for small teams.

Below is a list of popular and most sought items:

 Baby Wipes (small quantities)
 Magazines
 Bars of soap Snacks (crackers, peanut butter, cheese crackers, etc)
 Cushion Socks (military black/brown)
 Small packets of juice (Capri sun, apple juice, etc)
 Toothpaste (travel size)
 Cans of fruit
 Tooth Brushes (just a few)
 Floss Tobacco products (dip/smokes)
 Razor Blades (MACH 3, etc)
 A real football (or 2)
 Hand Sanitizer
 Board games (monopoly, risk, jigsaw puzzles, Sudoko, etc.)

 Gold Bond Foot Powder
 Haribo Gummy Bears
 Shaving Cream (travel sizes)
 Pringles (salt/vinegar, sour cream onion
 Febreeze/Lysol
 Candies (Skittles/Starburst/Jolly Ranchers)
 Sour Patch
 Gatorade Powder
 Beef Jerky
 Poker Chips
 Playing Cards
 Time Magazine
 DVD’s (action/comedy)

About ClearedJobs.Net
ClearedJobs.Net located in Falls Church, Virginia provides services and products to the security cleared community. Founded in 2001, the company supports security cleared professionals in their career searches by producing Cleared Job Fairs, posting on-line security cleared jobs and industry information to assist security cleared job seekers in their career transitions. For more information about ClearedJobs.Net, please visit www.ClearedJobs.Net.

About Operation Gratitude
Operation Gratitude is the California- based 501 (c) (3) non-profit, volunteer organization that annually sends 100,000+ care packages of snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and on military ships at sea. Its mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member’s face and to express to all our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. Since its inception in March, 2003, Operation Gratitude has shipped more than 410,000 packages to American military deployed overseas.

About Henderson Hall
Henderson Hall is a military installation of the United States Marine Corps located in Arlington, Virginia near the Pentagon providing fitness and recreation programs, Marine and family services, and business activities in direct support of individual and family readiness and retention in the National Capitol Region. http://www.mccshh.com/PDF_files/Adopt-A-Family09_flyer.pdf