Package rules and
Items considered for Iowa Care Packages
Items allowed: Iowa Care Package, Inc. will only package and ship items that would be appropriate to send to one’s Mother.
Items not allowed:
- NO Home-cooked anything, Due to concerns for the health and safety of the Soldier, Factory packaged items only. Soldiers are told to throw away anything that is not in a factory package.
- NO Sexually suggestive articles or material depicting nude or seminude persons, pornographic or sexual items.
- NO Pork or pork by products (being respectful of local culture).
- NO Political material.
- NO Religious material.
Packaging and shipping:
Iowa Care Packages are mailed in Flat Rate, Priority Mail Boxes which are furnished “at no charge” by the USPS (United States Parcel Service).
Items considered for Iowa Care Packages:
NOTE: The following list is only a sampling of possible products that can show up in Iowa Care packages. Packages will contain a random mix of whatever items are available at the time of packaging.
Single serving and individually packaged items are preferred.
- Altoids/mints
- Air activated heat wraps for sore muscles
- Air freshener, stick-ups, Fabreeze
- Baby wipes (used for cleaning themselves and their weapons)
- Batteries (AA & D), a top priority item, used for CD players and other portable items, flashlights, and anything else that requires batteries.
- Board games, playing cards
- Boot socks/Brown t-shirts
- Bubble Gum/Chewing gum
- Bug Spray (must be packaged in zip-lock bag)
- Candy - Individually wrapped, licorice, Jaw breakers, Lifesavers etc.
- Canned air to blow dust out of electronics
- Canned fruit (pop top cans)
- Cereal (in small boxes)
- Chapstick, Lip Balm & Vaseline
- Cheese spread
- Chex Mix
- Coffee (instant)/Coffee Creamer - Tea bags
- Cookies, - crackers, individual packages
- Disposable camera
- Disposable shower towels
- Duct Tape
- Easy Mac-N-Cheese
- Fast food condiments (hot sauce, Ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper, relish, mayo packets, etc.
- Flashlights (mini/maglite, extra bulbs, lots of batteries)
- Fans (battery powered - small - with extra batteries)
- Fly swatters, fly strips
- Fruit snacks/raisins/dried fruit
- Girl Scout Cookies.
- Gold Bond foot powder
- Granola bars/Cereal bars
- Hand lotion
- Hand sanitizers (waterless)
- Hand warmers (winter)
- Holiday decorations - small unbreakable holiday decorations
- Holiday cards
- Hot chocolate mixes (winter only)
- Hot sauce
- Icy/hot patches
- Ink pens
- Instant oatmeal packages
- Koozies - to keep water bottles and cans cool.
- Lysol wipes / wet wipes
- Magazines
- Microwaveable plates and bowls, paper plates
- Microwave popcorn
- Microwave pasta that doesn't need refrigeration
- Nail clippers
- Olives, pickles, peppers
- Paperback books (mysteries, action, drama, science fiction)
- Peanuts, honey roasted peanuts, sunflower kernels, sunflower seeds
- Personal note/s from you or a (thank you for your service) letter
- Powdered Gatorade packages & presweetened powdered drink mixes
- Pringles chips
- Q-Tips
- Ramen noodles
- Razors (disposable), after shave and deodorant
- Refresh eye drops
- Rice Krispie treats
- Sewing kit
- Shoe laces for gym shoes and boots
- Slim Jim's, beef jerky, smoked oysters, sardines, summer sausage
- Squeeze butter
- Soup mixes (winter only)
- Spices - salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Spice All etc.
- Stress relief squeeze balls
- Sun block
- Sunglasses (black - no brand names)
- Toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental Floss & Mouth wash
- Tuna in the pouch
- Tylenol, - Ibuprofen (individual packets)
- Vienna Sausages
- Writing paper/envelopes/pens/pencils/postcards (Soldiers do not need stamps because letters from soldiers are sent to the states for free).
- Word Puzzle books/Cross Word/Sudoku/Search & Find
- Zip Lock bags
Don’t forget special items for our Female Soldiers
- Feminine hygiene products (Tampons, panty liners)
- Hair bands/hair clips
- Nail polish & supplies
- Nail clippers
- Q-tips
- Small mirrors
- Body sprays
- Hair spray/hair gel
- Perfume