[AlphaSigOU]

Originally posted by adduncan
(On my end, my DAR chapter is going through the machinations of this question as well--what can we do as a group to support the people in the military, esp at a time of war, and REALLY especially when opinions on it are divided.)

I happen to be the committee chairman for my local Order of the Eastern Star chapter's 'Operation Eastern Star' (http://www.texas-oes.org/oes.htm) campaign. Basically, we're assigned a point of contact with a unit deployed overseas and regularly send them care packages and other things that make life a little bearable in the field. Here's the FAQ on Operation Eastern Star:

FAQ About Operation Eastern Star

How Does It Work:

As each chapter signs up for Operation Eastern Star, we notify our contact person in the region. Your Chapter is then hooked up with a unit that has expressed an interest in participating. We will send you the name and email address of your unit's contact person - you take if from there! The Unit/Chapter match-up is random in that as units and chapters sign up, we try to get everyone together as soon as possible. This project is new to us too, so give us a few days to get things really rolling.

First Thing To Do:

Email your contact! Introduce yourself and tell your unit representative who you are, and where you are from. They love to hear about what is going on with you just as much as we like hearing about their adventures. Try to 'put a face' to the email, give it some personality and Eastern Star flair. \ Let them know what your Chapter is like and maybe something general about the members. Be sure to remind them you are their Eastern Star Adoptive moms and dads. Ask for names of the troops in your unit who would enjoy receiving emails plus their email address.

Share Your Contact Person:

Let everyone in your Chapter know the email address of your contact person and other service people in your unit so they can write fun letters on their own as well. It is guaranteed they will get a reply! The more people that are involved on a personal level, the more fun you will all have with the project! The address MUST have the name of your unit contact on it! There was a time when mail was accepted with "Any Soldier" as a designation, this is no longer in effect. Security is very high for all packages, so addresses and return addresses must be complete and correct.

Ask What Things Your Unit Needs or Would Like:

You might be surprised at the humble list your unit will send you! Some of the hottest items are toilet paper and dryer sheets like Bounce!! Gently remind them that you will be mailing these items overseas, so things like horse shoes aren't a good idea. (A fun game, but costs more to send than they do to purchase!)

Care Packages:

Now for the nuts and bolts! A Care Package can contain absolutely anything, so let your imaginations fly. Use a little Chapter time to discuss what you would all like to do - pick a theme for each box and let members bring in the items to your next meeting or some other time you might want to select. Some examples might include the following:

Comfort Boxes: Send items which will make living just a little easier. The previously mentioned toilet paper and dryer sheets, nice coffees and teas, hot chocolate, powered drink mix to make the water taste better, plastic jars of peanut butter for those times when someone missed chow, cheese and cracker packs, granola bars, dried fruits, Pop Tarts (a top ten item!), beef jerky, foot powder that kills athlete's foot, Kleenx, the list can go on and on! Don't send bottles of liquid soap - we found out the hard way that even wrapped up in 3 ziplock bags, it made absolutely everything taste and smell like soap. Magazines are greatly appreciated, especially latest issues - watch the content, though. Nothing that shows a lot of skin (Cosomo and Playboys are out), the host countries are mostly Muslim and this would be offensive to their culture. Nothing alcoholic - that probably is no surprise, but should be mentioned. Games are a great idea! Playing cards, dominoes, cribbage boards, mostly anything. If you have computer games that you are done with, send them along!

Night At the Movies: Everyone has a video or two they do not watch anymore - donate them to a Care Package! Members can purchase a previously viewed movie from Blockbuster, Hastings, PayLess, or anywhere for a song. Just one or two movies from each member will more than fill a box! Add in microwave popcorn, cans of Pringles, and bags of nuts for a full evening of fun for you unit.

Baked Goods Box: Who can baked better than an Eastern Star?! Just remember, it can take about 2 weeks or so for your package to reach your unit, so make sure that what you send will not spoil in that period of time. Nothing dairy based will make it. All sorts of cookies are great, but stay away from thin, lacy ones because they end up as powder after passing through the mail system. Bar cookies and brownies do very well, shortbread and fudge last forever and are tough, peanut brittle is all the better for a little roughing up, pound or bunt cakes are good, and biscotti make coffee a real treat. Do not frost anything! The frosting melts and ends up all over the box - ick! Wrap everything in lots of Saran wrap, foil, ziplock bags, and plenty of padding. No pies - the filing tends to be highly perishable and spills out of the crust - another ick.

Letters Box: Send a personal letter and a snapshot of your members! Everyone can write a letter and then paperclip a photo to the letter so the troops can see who is writing to them. Add in pictures/letters from school children if you have school teachers in your group or Scout leaders and Sunday School teachers. A box or two of Girl Scout cookies as an added treat would never be turned away!

Mailing:

Size of the box is a BIG issue!! Don't get overly big boxes because the postal system will not mail them! Stop by the Post Office and let them help you select a box, that way you can't go wrong. Your address will have an APO destination on it - have the Post Office make sure they know what to do with it and that it is up to date. On your first trip to talk with the Postal people, pick up the proper papers for sending items overseas so you can fill them out ahead of time. Much easier to do it at home over a cup of coffee than at the Post Office with people glaring at you for holding up the line! Pad your boxes well!!!! The toilet paper does a nice job of that! Tape the box up within an inch of its life using strapping tape - it has a rough road ahead of it and you don't want the box breaking up and spilling the contents all over Panama! Label it very clearly so no mistake can be made, if they can't read your writing, they will send it right back to you - 4 months later.

The address MUST have the name of your unit contact on it! There was a time when mail was accepted with "Any Soldier" as a designation, this is no longer in effect. Security is very high for all packages, so addresses and return addresses must be complete and correct.

Items need to be sent Priority Mail or it can take over a month to get to the troops!

Hope this helps.