Our learning community is organizing a drive to send care packages to deployed members of the Vermont National Guard until February 14, 2017.  

We appreciate any support you are able to provide, whether it means purchasing supplies, talking about the project with people you see, writing your own note of encouragement to a deployed person, or encouraging your child to take part in the efforts at school.  This week, some students began to make posters, and others are planning what to say when they share information with other classrooms at SATEC.

Below, please see a detailed list of items (taken from various online resources):

Detailed list of items:

• Powdered drink mix. Your service member will appreciate anything that can be mixed with water. In cold months, send hot beverage mixes such as cocoa, instant coffee, tea bags, and creamer.
• Meal enhancers. Anything that can be mixed with MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), such as ramen noodles, seasoned salt, individual packets of hot sauce, mustard, relish, and ketchup.
• Quick protein. Energy bars, tuna fish, sardines, non-perishable beef jerky, or beef summer sausage. Make sure the meat is labeled USDA Beef.
• Snacks. Look for small, hard containers of chips, pretzels, and nuts. These are easier to carry than large containers. Avoid bags, which may burst under high pressure.
• Choose small, travel-size containers of personal care products, and avoid aerosol cans. To keep liquids from spilling, cover the opening of the container with plastic wrap, then recap before shipping.

• Toiletries. Toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, cotton swabs, shaving lotion, disposable razors, shampoo, individually packaged tissues.
• Personal care. Individually packaged baby wipes, eye drops, lip balm, lotion, aspirin or other pain reliever, feminine hygiene products for women.
• Foot care. Moleskin, medicated foot powder, athlete's-foot ointment.2 l What to Send Someone Who is Deployed
• Disposable hand warmers. Send these during the winter if your service member is in a cold climate.

• Reading material. Paperback books, current magazines, comic books.
• Word games and puzzles. Crossword puzzles, word searches, jigsaw puzzles.
• Games. Foam footballs and basketballs, Frisbees, Hacky Sacks, playing cards, yo-yos.
• Disposable camera.
• Writing material. Notepaper, envelopes, pens, pencils, and even the Sunday comics from your local newspaper.

Board games, cards, and books are an awesome thing to put in a care package!  “We’re on our feet a lot when we’re deployed.  The best way for us to keep our feet dry, clean, and comfortable is with clean socks and foot powder.” Things like high-quality body wash, Vicks VapoRub, lip balm, and pain-relieving topical cream like IcyHot aren’t a necessity, but they can be a real luxury!  Lens cleaning cloths and small bottles of glass cleaner come in handy for our goggles.

Hot sauce is a great commodity to have around, and the convenience of Taco Bell sauce packets are great to have in the field. Flavoring packets that make water taste like lemon, strawberry or orange are awesome.

Beef jerky and sunflower seeds are great treats, but for a little bit of local flavor, try something that your loved one can’t get overseas, like a bottle of barbecue sauce from a local restaurant.

• PROTEIN POWDER & PROTEIN BARS (Top request!)
• K-CUPS Coffee & Tea for Keurig machines (Top request!)
• GREEN TEA
• TUNA & CHICKEN SALAD (in foil pouches, or ready-to-eat kits (no cans)
• SUNFLOWER SEEDS & PUMPKIN SEEDS
• Hard Pretzels / Cheetos / Fritos / Chex Mix / Wheat Thins / Ritz Crackers
• Granola Bars / Power Bars / Cereal Bars / Cliff Bars
• Fig Newtons, Oreos, Cheese & Crackers – Small Packs
• Dried Fruit, Granola, Fruit Roll-Ups / Fruit By The Foot / Fruit Gummies
• NUTS: Peanuts, Mixed Nuts (salted preferred)
• Rice Krispie Treats (Store-bought only)
• Little Debbies & Hostess cake products
• Cereal (Small, individual boxes)
• Travel-size shampoo & conditioner (no large bottles)
• Shaving Cream in Tubes / Shaving Soap (No CANS of Shaving Cream!)
• Lip Balm / Chap Stick / Carmex / Blistex
• Hand & Body Lotion / Moisturizer (travel size)
• Sunblock, SPF 45, Zinc, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera Gel (travel size)
• Bug Spray / DEET / Skin-So-Soft
• Loufa Sponges / Buff Puffs
• Tylenol, Motrin, Advil or Aspirin Packets (Please check expiration dates)
• Eye Drops (i.e. Visine)
• Nasal Spray
• Vitamins (These are always needed. Please check expiration dates)

• Double-sided tape, small crafts kits, scrap-booking items
• Frisbees / Hackey sacks
• Yo-Yo’s, Dominoes, Poker Chips & Mats, Dice
• Board games (UNO, Othello, Checkers – travel size is great, too!)
• Nerf Footballs / Whiffle bats, balls & Mitts / Sports equipment

• Holiday and Seasonal Decorations
• SMALL TOYS & SCHOOL SUPPLIES for foreign children
• Patriotic knick-knacks, USA flags, flags from your state, bandanas, banners to tack on their walls or tents.
• [Note: The DOD banned “Under-Armor” shirts due to its material being potentially flammable & bad reactions to open wounds.]
• SOCKS: Black, Olive Green, Tan & White (cotton or wool)

K-9 items:

Dog chew sticks,, toys, shampoo, flea collars, etc. K9 Boots, Medium & Large (All Year)

K9 Doggles (All Year) Collapsible Nylon Dog Bowls

Kong 3” Rubber Balls Large Rope Chews

K9 Shampoo & Conditioner K9 Grooming Tools-Combs, Brushes, etc.

K9 Nail Clippers Towels to wipe paws

K9 Blankets (Winter Months) K9 Toothpaste & Toothbrush

K9 Eye Drops K9 Ear Wash

K9 Advantix, Flea and Tic Treatment K9 Salves for paws/noses