Here is an opportunity to thank military men and women from our neighborhood for serving.
This Thanksgiving — as they also did last Thanksgiving — the Lake Highlands Exchange Club will salute military troops from our neighborhood by collecting goodies, preparing care packages and sending them out to soldiers.
On Saturday, Nov. 28 at 9 a.m., club members and families will gather at the Knights of Columbus for a boxing party, that is, the boxing up of personal-use items for those from our neighborhood serving overseas. After the jump find a list of items needed—note, this is an extensive list that, obviously, much thought went into and it appears to include specific requests — reading it is actually quite heartbreaking, as it just makes the soldiers’ situation so real. Your in-kind or cash donations will be greatly appreciated.
The event chair, Greg Duval, also needs volunteers to help with the taping and labeling station, refreshments or on the transportation-shipping team. If that sounds like something you can do, give Duval a call at 214-734-9282 or e-mail him at gregduval@sbcglobal.net.
Needed Items for the Troops Overseas (From Lake Highlands Exchange Club)
Note: For toiletries send UNSCENTED items if available.
For snacks: send the ones in cans or plastic containers so they don’t get crushed
PERSONAL CARE ITEMS: * chap-stick, blistex * Non-medicated eye drops * Lens cleaners * hand & foot cream & body lotion * foot and body powder – Gold Bond Powder is a particular favorite * shampoo and conditioner (small sizes) * Hand sanitizers, such as PURELL * Emery boards, nail clippers * Facial cleansing pads * Large Baby wipes (soft packs are best) * Kleenex packets * Q-tips * hand and feet warmers (as used by skiiers, hunters, etc.) * athlete’s foot medicine, such as Lotrimin * deodorants * after shave gel or lotion * BLACK or WHITE tube socks * boxer short (sm, med, lg and x-lg) * Brown army T-shirts(med, lg and x-lg, must be bought at PX or army surplus store) * Mole skin & blister packs * Gel Insoles for their boots * SOFT Toilet Paper * DENTAL FLOSS * vitamin C drops * Zinc tablets (Cold-eezz cough drops & throat lozenges) * Toilet paper * bath gel * toothpaste * tooth brushes * disposable razors * shaving cream
FOOD/SNACKS * Cold drink mixes – powdered pre-sweetened drink mixes, Crystal lite,Wylers Lemonade,Tang * Hot beverages in individual packets, in both regular & diet: *** FLAVORED instant coffee & teas ( herbal) *** Gourmet Coffee, ground, ALWAYS requested *** Powered coffee creamer,plain and flavored *** instant hot cocoa mix *** spiced apple cider mix * individual serving sized fruits – no refrigeration needed * CEREALS, including instant oatmeal in "fun flavors", sweetened dried cereal – individual or big boxes – for snacks * trail mix, * granola cereal and bars * Pop-Tarts – all flavors * power bars (all types that won’t melt) * foil packs or easy open, pop top cans of tuna or chicken * Individual servings of chili, Mac & cheese, stews, etc. They are microwaveable but they also heat in the sun * Beef & Turkey Jerky * Beef Slim Jim’s ( NO Pork allowed) or beef sticks, beef salami or pepperoni * cup of soup, cup of noodles, top ramen, any type that is instant * individual wrapped cookies, snack cakes, etc, like Twinkies, Rice Krispy treats, oatmeal cookies, nutter butter cookies graham cracker sticks (all flavors) * flavored crackers, Chex mix & cheese nips * DORITOS * Pringles (all flavors) * Tostitos * SPICY snack foods * canned chips * potato sticks * pretzels * flavored popped corn, fiddle faddle, cracker jacks, * salsa & canned dips (not refrigerated) * crackers & cheese spread in bottles * cheese & crackers and peanut butter & crackers in individual plastic cups *** CANDIES: including hard candy, red licorice, sweet-tarts, M&Ms, mints, jolly ranchers, star-bursts, life savers, EVERYTHING needs to be individually wrapped * gum – lots of it, regular & sugar free * Hershey bars, peanut butter cups, snickers, mint patties, all types of chocolate. NOTE: DO NOT SEND til late October, early November.. It is still over 100 in Baghdad * dried fruit & fruit roll-ups * nuts – all kinds (pistachios; sunflower seeds in shell, peanuts; cashews)
OTHER NEAT THINGS TO INCLUDE: * Disposable camera * Batteries AA and AAA * ONLY ATT Phone cards * ”Hot Hands & Hot Feet” hand and foot warmers work for up to 6 hours to keep them warm (as used by hunters and skiers) * liquid laundry detergent * Fly swatters * Magnet backed photo holders and small personal albums * Letters of support, cards from students, scouts or church groups * Pens(preferably black ink), stationary, postcards & greeting cards, to send to their families * nerf footballs, volley ball & net, soccer balls, basketballs, whiffle ball & bat * travel size electronic games * hand pumps to inflate balls * dominoes, cribbage boards, trivial pursuit & other board games * Velcro dart game for their tents & other indoor type games * Music & movie DVDs & CD’s or CD-R computer games, electronic games, game boy, taped sporting events * Use the Sunday comics and sports section as packing material * ! gallon size plastic containers to mix the drink mix in * Freezer weight Ziploc bags, all sizes, but especially gallon size * Mouse traps and fly paper * Duct tape(green, black, or gray) * Funnels to get drink mix into their canteens ! Cigars (keeps the insects away) ! Febreeze(helps kill the odor of their stinky uniforms ! Neck coolers (still in the 100s in Baghdad) Additional items requested for Winter Blank music CDs and jewel cases or paper sleeves self adhesive envelopes(the others don’t adhere well, especially if sand gets on them) decorations for any upcoming holiday from the dollar store Snacks: beef & turkey jerky, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, chocolate covered raisins, white chocolate covered pretzels, milk chocolate, Jolly Ranchers, Blow Pops, Dum Dum’s, trail mix, microwavable popcorn, green apple/caramel lollipops, Flavor-Aid Popsicles, Pringles, peanut butter and jelly snack bars, Snack Wells Cookies, Veggie Chips, Walker Pure Butter Shortbread Cookies, Keebler Soft Baked chocolate chip cookies, Pepperidge Farm Sausilito-Soft cookies, Coconut Drops. Eats: Pull-off top soups, ready to eat tuna, salmon & chicken (in packets with no draining necessary), powdered milk, Power Bars Beverages: Gatorade/PowerAde mix, hot chocolate mix, Tang, caffeinated coffee grounds (white sugar, brown sugar, stirrers, creamer), Crystal Light, Raspberry Tea Mix, Peach tea mix
Females: Playtex ultra glide tampons, Always ultra thin panty-liners, Tampax Pearl tampons, Reach Floss brush, deodorant/antiperspirant (Dove solid, Powder, Degree solid Powder), Oil of Olay body wash, Dove bar soap sensitive skin, Smell-good hand soap, Herbal Essence Shampoo & Conditioner, Shaving Gel, Shaving razors, white ankle-cut socks, Goody Ouchless hair ties (brown, black, and blonde), nail polish Nivea night crème, Neva Day cream, Nivea face crème, Glow, foot soak, foot exfoliator, foot lotion, corn removers, blister protectors, facial toner, bikini zone, Victoria’s secret body products (spray, lotion, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner), Bath and Body works products, shower gloves, hair brushes, Johnson’s Baby Lotion, Chap Stick.
Males: Shaving gel (Gillette, Edge), shaving razors (Gillette Mach 3-Turbo, Schick Quattro), Deodorant/antiperspirant (Old Spice, Degree, Right Guard with Power Strip, Speed Stick Sport), Nivea Men’s hair removal lotion, white ankle-socks, Men’s face products (after shave, lotion, etc), Men’s Body wash (Irish Spring, Lever 2000), Shampoo (Neutrogena TGel, Aussie), good foot powder (Gold Bond, Max, Dr. Scholl’s), Lotramin fungus cream, hair clippers, good foot/shoe spray, callus removers Miscellaneous Items: scented candles, stick-ups, holiday decorations (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, St. Patty’s Valentines, Easter, 4th of July, Birthdays, Halloween), X-mas lights, holly, disposable cameras, magnets and magnetic photo holders, plastic wall hooks, funnels (for pouring powder in water bottles), board games (Chinese checkers, Monopoly, Clue, Scattergories, Twister, etc.) puzzles, hand-held video games, craft supplies, stickers, baseballs and bats, boxing gloves, water guns, water balloons, streamers, balloons, Fleece Blankets: It is getting VERY (read bone chilling) cold in Afghanistan, and it’s not yet winter … Even in Iraq, it’s getting much colder at nights … and when your body is used to daily temperatures of 110, daytime highs in the 80s and nighttimes in the 50s (Iraq) or 60s/days 30s/nights ARE COLD Towels: As you are all too well aware, the conditions are harsh. The sand storms are fierce and the dust and sand just gets in to everything. Everything takes a real beating, and some of the soldiers have said that a nice new towel would be a wonderful treat … they are using the old ones for cleaning … a never-ending task. and don’t forget the Charmin …. no, seriously … any nice toilet paper is like GOLD ….anti-fog eye glasses wipes fly-paper (comes in rolls at the dollar stores) ** the hard rectangular shaped toothpastes… they’re about the size of a pack of cigarettes and slip in a shaving bag nicely…and they will ship better with less risk of "squirting out" ** Please remember to get a flouride toothpaste – the water is not fluorinated as it is in the US, and many of the soldiers are experiencing "sensitive teeth" ** If you can tap in to a source of flouride as well, all the better 🙂 ** include a "loofa" In the words of one who knows: "The loofas might sound funny, but they clean better than wash cloths. After a week or so of using a wash cloth I felt like I was using sand paper to shower. Loofas just rinsed out better."
