Ok, so you’ve raised your hand indicating you’d like to send a “box o goodies” to a deployed military member, what happens next?
There are a couple ways to participate.
You can become a part of a larger group that assembles Care Packages in a home or in an office. Many larger teams have set up Community Service Events in support of the cause. Often times, members of a business bring acceptable items and snacks to place in the boxes, and the team writes thank you notes and cards to the deployed troops thanking them for their sacrifices and service to our country. Some of the groups who have hosted the larger events are Aramark, Compass/Eurest, Canteen, Guidewell, LaVazza Coffee, and SnapChef. If you’d like to host an event at your workspace, we would be happy to assist with that.
Another common way to participate is by individual, small group, or family and friends event.
In either case, it starts with this:
Our team receives recipient opportunities in two ways. The most common way is that we receive the address of a forward base and a point of contact, usually the Senior Enlisted person on the base. We are in close contact with that POC, and he or she takes on the responsibility of distributing the goods we send in some form of community outreach.
We also at times receive the names and addresses of individuals serving overseas, so we can distribute those names and addresses for the smaller, personal opportunities.
Once the package is assembled, it goes through USPS process, as they are the only mail agency that handles mail to APO or FPO addresses.
APO stands for Army Post Office, and FPO is Fleet Post Office. Your package gets sent to a clearinghouse in either Chicago or Dallas prior to its distribution overseas.
Stay tuned for Part 3. How long does it take, what happens when it gets there, and just who gets these packages?