Happy Sunday, happy August 1st and happy first-day-as-a-civilian-in-4-years!
Oh and happy 1 month, baby! :D
Today I want to talk about a few companies that support deployed Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. This is by no means an exhaustive list, just some companies I have come across in my travels. Please take a look and if something catches your eye, please share the link!
There's a lot of information ahead - consider yourself warned! :)
Oh and happy 1 month, baby! :D
Today I want to talk about a few companies that support deployed Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. This is by no means an exhaustive list, just some companies I have come across in my travels. Please take a look and if something catches your eye, please share the link!
There's a lot of information ahead - consider yourself warned! :)
Boca Java
Boca Java sends boxes of coffee to deployed servicemembers. According to their FAQ, you can either submit the name and Boca Jaca will verify and then send them coffee on a rotating ''first come-first served'' basis, or you can make a donation of coffee yourself and Boca Java will match the donation 1 for 1.
If you would like to submit a servicemember for Boca Java coffee, click here. Scroll down to Make a Donation to a Special Soldier at the bottom of the page.
Dunkin Donuts
Dunkin Donuts holds a monthly lottery to randomly select 50 deployed US military members (of those submitted) to receive a case of Dunkin Donuts coffee. When I returned from my deployment in 2008, I entered some of my friends who were still in Iraq and two of them were selected. :)
I have already entered Theseus for the drawing this month, but as far as I know, he can keep being entered until he is selected. Other members of his unit can also be entered. It costs nothing to enter someone.
To enter a deployed servicemember for a chance to receive a case of Dunkin Donuts coffee, click here.
Fox River Socks
This company holds a special place in my heart because they are the makers of the original Rockford Red Heel Sock Monkey. You may have seen him the the recent Kia Sorento commercials. (See video below - funny every time I watch it!) Theseus bought me one of their sock monkeys before he left.
Anyway, deployed servicemembers may submit a wishlist of Fox River socks they would like, either for themselves or for their entire unit. If you choose to send something from a wishlist, Fox River will cover the cost of shipping. Theseus does not yet have a wishlist, but he will by the end of this week. :)
To view the Fox River Socks wishlists submitted by deployed servicemembers, click here.
Boca Java sends boxes of coffee to deployed servicemembers. According to their FAQ, you can either submit the name and Boca Jaca will verify and then send them coffee on a rotating ''first come-first served'' basis, or you can make a donation of coffee yourself and Boca Java will match the donation 1 for 1.
If you would like to submit a servicemember for Boca Java coffee, click here. Scroll down to Make a Donation to a Special Soldier at the bottom of the page.
Dunkin Donuts
Dunkin Donuts holds a monthly lottery to randomly select 50 deployed US military members (of those submitted) to receive a case of Dunkin Donuts coffee. When I returned from my deployment in 2008, I entered some of my friends who were still in Iraq and two of them were selected. :)
I have already entered Theseus for the drawing this month, but as far as I know, he can keep being entered until he is selected. Other members of his unit can also be entered. It costs nothing to enter someone.
To enter a deployed servicemember for a chance to receive a case of Dunkin Donuts coffee, click here.
Fox River Socks
This company holds a special place in my heart because they are the makers of the original Rockford Red Heel Sock Monkey. You may have seen him the the recent Kia Sorento commercials. (See video below - funny every time I watch it!) Theseus bought me one of their sock monkeys before he left.
Anyway, deployed servicemembers may submit a wishlist of Fox River socks they would like, either for themselves or for their entire unit. If you choose to send something from a wishlist, Fox River will cover the cost of shipping. Theseus does not yet have a wishlist, but he will by the end of this week. :)
To view the Fox River Socks wishlists submitted by deployed servicemembers, click here.
Green Beans Coffee
It appears you have to be the actual servicemember deployed in order to take advantage of this (in other words, I don't think you can enter your deployed servicemember), but Green Beans Coffee will give you a free cup if you follow the directions on this page.
For those who have never been in a Green Beans, it is "the coffee shop" of the deployed, serving military personnel in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Djibouti, Africa and domestically at military bases across North America. I've been in a Green Beans in three different countries, not counting the US.
If you are currently deployed and would like to enter yourself for a free cup of coffee (hey, better than nothing), click here.
Treat the Troops
Treat the Troops is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization that sends homemade cookies to deployed servicemembers. Since 1990, they have sent over 2 millions cookies.
The organization requests you only submit the names of those who are receiving few (or no) packages from home, so I didn't sumbit Theseus's name, but maybe you know of someone who could use a package? This seems like a very sweet organization.
If you'd like to submit the name of a servicemember or make a tax-deductible donation to Treat the Troops, click here.
A few other random, helpful links
Drugstore.com offers a wide variety of specialized (and popular) hygiene items. While there is no discount, they do ship to APO addresses, so if your servicemember wants a specific hygiene item that is difficult to find, it may be convenient to order it for them via this site. I used Drugstore.com when I was deployed to get girly-scented shampoo. :)
Netgrocer.com will send nonperishable grocery items to APO addresses. As with Drugstore.com, there is no discount, but you can send specific items that your servicemember requests, like Cape Cod Sea Salt and Vinegar potato chips, which they might not be able to find in the PX. They are a little bit more expensive than purchasing the items yourself at a supermarket, but may be more convenient.
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I purposely didn't list companies that send generic care packages. While I know they have the best intentions, in my experience, they end up sending a lot of items that many servicemembers don't want and don't use. We received many, many well-intentioned care packages filled with mini tubes of toothpaste, antiperspirant, foot spray, playing cards, toothbrushes, Bibles, baby wipes and countless boxes of Girl Scout cookies (I swear I'll never eat another one as long as I live). Aside from the Girl Scout cookies, these are items that can be found in all but the most remote locations. Again, I know they have the best intentions, but I hated to see so many items go to waste. :/
If you do feel that these care packages would be beneficial to your servicemember, a great number of companies can be found with a simple Google search, or click here for a good site to start at.
---
Whew! That's it for today. If you're still reading, thank you, and even if none of these links can help you or your servicemember, please pass the links on. Each and every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen, Marine and Coast Guardsmen deserves our support.
It appears you have to be the actual servicemember deployed in order to take advantage of this (in other words, I don't think you can enter your deployed servicemember), but Green Beans Coffee will give you a free cup if you follow the directions on this page.
For those who have never been in a Green Beans, it is "the coffee shop" of the deployed, serving military personnel in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Djibouti, Africa and domestically at military bases across North America. I've been in a Green Beans in three different countries, not counting the US.
If you are currently deployed and would like to enter yourself for a free cup of coffee (hey, better than nothing), click here.
Treat the Troops
Treat the Troops is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization that sends homemade cookies to deployed servicemembers. Since 1990, they have sent over 2 millions cookies.
The organization requests you only submit the names of those who are receiving few (or no) packages from home, so I didn't sumbit Theseus's name, but maybe you know of someone who could use a package? This seems like a very sweet organization.
If you'd like to submit the name of a servicemember or make a tax-deductible donation to Treat the Troops, click here.
A few other random, helpful links
Drugstore.com offers a wide variety of specialized (and popular) hygiene items. While there is no discount, they do ship to APO addresses, so if your servicemember wants a specific hygiene item that is difficult to find, it may be convenient to order it for them via this site. I used Drugstore.com when I was deployed to get girly-scented shampoo. :)
Netgrocer.com will send nonperishable grocery items to APO addresses. As with Drugstore.com, there is no discount, but you can send specific items that your servicemember requests, like Cape Cod Sea Salt and Vinegar potato chips, which they might not be able to find in the PX. They are a little bit more expensive than purchasing the items yourself at a supermarket, but may be more convenient.
---
I purposely didn't list companies that send generic care packages. While I know they have the best intentions, in my experience, they end up sending a lot of items that many servicemembers don't want and don't use. We received many, many well-intentioned care packages filled with mini tubes of toothpaste, antiperspirant, foot spray, playing cards, toothbrushes, Bibles, baby wipes and countless boxes of Girl Scout cookies (I swear I'll never eat another one as long as I live). Aside from the Girl Scout cookies, these are items that can be found in all but the most remote locations. Again, I know they have the best intentions, but I hated to see so many items go to waste. :/
If you do feel that these care packages would be beneficial to your servicemember, a great number of companies can be found with a simple Google search, or click here for a good site to start at.
---
Whew! That's it for today. If you're still reading, thank you, and even if none of these links can help you or your servicemember, please pass the links on. Each and every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen, Marine and Coast Guardsmen deserves our support.
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