“All food items must have an expiration date for at least 6 more months from time of donation. No Aerosol items. No big canned items.All items must be New and Sealed in original packaging. No toiletry items without labels and No hotel samples. Items donated will be shipped in a Large Flat Rate USPS box so please consider the size of the items when purchasing.”
The donations received through Operation Community Cares go directly to the Service People that are a part of our network.
Here are a few of the items that can be donated:
* Hot Sauce
* Zip Lock Bags
* Baby Wipes (Gallon Size)
* Slim Jim’s / Beef Jerky
* Coffee (Ground or whole; instant or drip. Ground is preferred)
* Powder Drink Mix (Gatorade, Kool-Aid, Crystal Light)
* Sunflower Seeds & Pumpkin Seeds
* Tuna & Chicken Salad (in foil pouches, or ready-to-eat kits (no cans)
* Protein Powder & Protein Bars
* Hot Chocolate packets, Herbal teas
* Hard Pretzels / Cheetos / Fritos / Chex Mix / Wheat Thins / Ritz
* Gum / Hard Candy (must be individually wrapped in large bags)
* Granola Bars / Power Bars / Cereal Bars / Cliff Bars
* Fig Newtons, Oreos, Cheese & Crackers – Small Packs
* Trail Mix, Dried Fruit, Granola, Fruit Roll-Ups / Fruit By The Foot / Fruit Gummies
* Dry Soup: Cup Noodles (noodles that come in a cup rather than packet)
* Nuts: Peanuts, Mixed Nuts (salted preferred)
* Microwave Food (Popcorn, Chef-Boy-R-Dee, Mac’n’Cheese…)
* Cookies / Girl Scout Cookies (with chocolate: Oct. – Feb. only!)
* Rice Krispie Treats (Store-bought only)
* Little Debbies® & Hostess® cake products
* Oatmeal Packs (Instant: just add water)
* Cereal (Small, individual boxes)
* Condiments, Spices; Sugar; Salad Dressing (no glass jars)
* BABY WIPES (travel size)
* HAND SANITIZER (travel size)
* Body Wash, Liquid Soap, Facial Cleanser
* Shampoo /Conditioner (travel size)
* Hair Gel (for female troops to pull hair back)
* Combs / Brushes
* Deodorant (travel size)
* Razors (disposable or “Intuition” or “Mach 3” types)
* Chapstick
* Baby Powder & Foot Powder (travel size)
* Tissues (individual packs; travel size only)
* Hand & Body Lotion / Moisturizer (travel size)
* Sunblock, SPF 45, Zinc, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera Gel
* Bug Spray / DEET / Skin-So-Soft
* Mouthwash (travel size)
* Toothpaste & Toothbrushes & Dental Floss
* Breath Mints / Breath Strips
* Lozenges / Cough Drops
* Sponges / Buff Puffs / Washcloths
* Nail files / Emery Boards / Nail Clippers
* Feminine Hygiene Products
* Qtips
* Cotton Balls
* Band-aids, Gauze Pads, First Aid Kits / Ace bandages, Icy Hot
* Shoe Insole Cushions (gel kind is best)
* Alleve, Motrin, Advil or Aspirin Packets
* Eye Drops
* Nasal Spray
* Vitamins
* iTunes® Gift Cards
* Small homemade gifts – reminders & comforts of “home”
* Pens & mechanical pencils, small notepads
* Stationery & Envelopes; blank cards to send home
* Day planners / Calendars / Small, Pocket Calendars
* Game Books: (Crossword Puzzles / Word Search Books / Math Puzzle books / MAD LIBS / Logic Problems / Sudoku)
* Yo-Yo’s, Dominoes, Playing Cards (new), Poker Chips & Mats, Dice
* Board games (UNO, Othello, Checkers – travel size is great, too!)
* Nerf Footballs / Whiffle bats, balls & Mitts / Sports equipment
* Frisbees / Hackey sacks
* T-SHIRTS: Cotton green & tan under shirts – new (Sizes: M, L & XL)
* FLASHLIGHTS – SMALL (battery operated.)
* AIR FRESHENERS (standalone- not plug-ins. Car types)
* Socks: Black, Olive Green & White (cotton or wool)
* Small toys (Beanie babies) & school supplies for Iraqi & Afghan children
* Patriotic knick-knacks, USA flags, flags from your state, bandanas, baseball hats, football jerseys, banners.
* Generic sunglasses (Ballistic, black only. No “mirrored” types)
* Alarm Clocks (Small in size; wind-up or battery-operated)
* Black or Green duct tape, small tool kits, dust masks, carpentry tools,
* Winter Hats (Yes, it does get cold! Hand knitted hats are welcome!)
* Water Bottles & Travel Mugs & Thermoses with Lids, (for Coffee, Tea & Soup)
* Religious booklets, small bibles, inspirational readings
* Holiday and Seasonal Decorations
* Cards & Letters: The troops love to hear from all of us and Mail brightens their days! These are the MOST IMPORTANT items we can send the troops & we can never have too many, so please keep writing! Consider making a patriotic banner or poster to send inside one of our care packages!
“For questions on specific item donations please contact Lisa at Lisa@OperationCommunityCares.Org”
(Note: Some troops have allergies & need Brand Name toiletries which list all ingredients. The military issues toiletries to our troops, however troops often miss their favorite brand of shampoo or soap. Our goal is to send troops reminders of home & items they miss … not free samples.)
“Packing Day List of Supplies Needed”.
Tape
Pens, crayons, coloring pages
Water
Raffle items
You can also make cash donations to O.C.C. Please send us an email to let us know if you’d like to help in another way!
Thank you in advance for your generosity!