Deployment
*Compensation for this post was provided by Starkist Tuna via MSB New Media. All opinions expressed in this piece are my own.
Military care packages are one of the best ways to show appreciation to deployed military service members. Over the years, care packages have become incredibly creative, often based on a special theme or event.
Some examples of creative care packages are…
- Jingle Bells Christmas Care Package
- Winter Wonderland Care Package
- Outdoors Tuna Creation Camo Care Package
If you are looking to create a perfect military care package for a service member overseas, follow this easy step-by-step guide:
Choose a theme.
My go-to theme right now is the Outdoors Tuna Creations Pouch from StarKist® since it’s a classic brand and Charlie the Tuna instills a sense of nostalgia for troops overseas. Around the holidays, this theme is a great way to give our nation’s heroes a “taste of home” and say thank you for their brave service.
See how adorable Charlie looks?
To help make this care package extra special gather some camo style cardstock paper from your local craft store to line the inside of your care package box. You can also grab a few markers (camo colors like green, brown, tan) and draw a cool outdoors design with leaves or trees on the inside of the lined care package box.
Chose a recipient.
If you personally know someone deployed overseas, then choosing a special someone is really easy. If you don’t know anyone overseas, then you can use the website AnySoilder.com to find a well-deserving Marine, Soilder, Airman, Seaman, or Coastguardsman to send an amazing package.
Gather your packaging supplies.
It is best just to grab a large flat rate box from the US Postal Service. There are special large flat rate boxes with ‘America Supports the Troops’ on it, but you can use a regular large flat rate box and the cost will be the same. It is actually cheaper to send a large flat rate box overseas than it is to send it domestically!
Gather your goodies to put inside the care package.
First, gather up some Outdoors Tuna Creations Pouches by StarKist, which have a nice camouflage-inspired design. I always choose StarKist because of their long-standing dedication to supporting the troops.
Right now they are doing something really cool by joining forces with Wounded Warrior Project® and pledging $100,000 to support, honor, and empower our nation’s wounded veterans. So when you send a military care package using StarKist Outdoors Tuna Creations you are supporting our nation’s wounded veterans, in addition to the troops overseas. Learn more here at StarKist Believes in Heroes.
StarKist tuna pouches are super convenient for military service members overseas because they are an easy-to-open and ready-to-eat healthy meal packed with protein and Omega-3s. All of these things make it the perfect on-the-go meal to sustain a service member during a busy day or challenging mission. My husband requests these pouches all the time when he is deployed.
Second, gather up some snacks that would go awesome with tuna to create a complete on-the-go meal. Nuts and crackers complement tuna perfectly. Add in some canned fruit or cookies for dessert. And be sure to put napkins and plastic utensils and paper plates in the care package too!
Third, add it some ‘outdoors’ or camouflage inspired items for service members to pass the time. Maybe a camouflage deck of cards or dominoes. Books or magazines about the outdoors is a great idea too.
Send it off.
After gathering up all the essentials for your ultimate Outdoors Tuna Creations Pouch, tape it up extremely well. It has a long way to go! When you take it to the post office you will need to fill out a customs form detailing all the items in the box. All of the items suggested in this post are completely safe to ship overseas.
Grab a pouch for yourself too!
As a busy mom, I feel like I’m running around like crazy wrangling a toddler throughout the day. There are many days when I lose track of time and we are out running errands when lunch time comes around. That’s why I love carrying the StarKist tuna pouches around in my purse. I can have a quick and easy meal and avoid the drive through when I’m starved. Plus, they are so much healthier than fast food. Depending on your taste preferences they have Lemon Pepper and Sweet and Spicy pouches. Yum!
If you are looking for these pouches, they are available at Walmart and grocery stores nationwide, making it incredibly convenient to find them. And if you would like to use the pouches to create a nice family meal, check out the StarKist Recipes site for recipes to inspire you.
Now for the Giveaway!
If you’d like to try Outdoor Tuna Creations for FREE and enjoy some cool StarKist products you can enter the giveaway from December 8 through December 12 by leaving a blog comment below sharing why you’d love to try it! A winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. You must be 18+ years old to enter. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. The winner will have 24 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.
The winner will receive…
- (4) Outdoors Tuna Creations Pouches (2 of each flavor)
- Sweet & Spicy
- Lemon Pepper
- (1) StarKist Charlie the Tuna T-Shirt
- (1) StarKist collapsible water bottle
- (1) StarKist Charlie the Tuna key chain
Connect with StarKist on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
Want more on military life?
- How to Find a Stunning Military Ball Dress for Under 100 Dollars
- 6 Military Homecoming Outfits That Will Make Him Swoon
- 10 Things Strong Military Spouses Do Differently
- MilSpouse Manners: 12 Must-Know Rules of Etiquette for Military Life
Those are some great tips! What I like putting in too is wet wipes, sun block, chapstick and the crystal light type single serve pouches. Always a hit with the guys overseas.
Ohhh, great ideas to add Angel. Thanks you! I actually am going to add that to the post 🙂 I totally forget about all this stuff.
Lauren
These are great because they are flavored and can be eaten directly from the pouch. It is hard to send mayo, but you can send some Ritz and these pouches and they are ready to eat.
Great tip David!
Good afternoon Lauren
Not married to a military.
I had family what was.mot anymore.
Want send carepackages to soliders who in where they are now.
From the uk.
And aims did start somthing up
It’s nice to send something to soliders who has or hasnt no family
Like to revive a package letter.not just at xmas all year round.want to know any help or how go about send packages to soliders.male and female.they deserve what they do for our country.