SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

TROOP WISH LIST (Seasonal)

ITEMS NEEDED FROM THE TOP TEN LIST:

1. Peanut Butter (20 oz. or less, please) & Jelly (20 oz. or less; plastic only, please)
2. Crackers (Standard 14.4 box) to put Peanut Butter or Tuna on
3. Canned Fruit, canned pasta (ravioli, ready to eat soups) CRITICAL
4. Beef Jerky/Slim Jims (Troops love this) CRITICAL
5. Nuts in a 20 oz. or less container; no glass please
6. Coffee (Tea bag style of coffee or packets such as from a hotel, 1 # ground coffee), hot chocolate, tea bags, etc.
7. Bag Items * (see full list below)
8. Unscented baby wipes, toilet paper
9. Pringles (in a tall canister)
10. Mints, spices in plastic jar, individual mayo packets (sold in a box at Costco, Sams, etc.)

Bagged Items: 

Dental bag items:  dental floss, individual packets of toothbrushes, mouthwash, toothpaste, chapstick
Medical bag items:  eye drops, saline nasal spray, large band-aids, anti-itch cream (2oz or less),
antibiotic ointment (eg Neosporin), antacid relief tablets (eg Tums), vitamins (multi or C, 200 count or less,
over-the-counter allergy/cold/flu medicine (capsule and tablet form mails the best), muscle rub (such as
Ben Gay, "Hot Hands," pain relievers (Advil, Tylenol, Motrin), heat wraps (eg. Thermacare Lowback Heat Wrap,
Q-Tips (a large handful in a snack bag)
Shower bag items:  shaving cream, deodorant, hand lotion (no pump-tops, please), body wash (16 oz or
smaller—no bars of soap, please)
Foot care bag items:  socks – men's white or black crew socks, ffoot powder (20 oz or less), moleskin
and/or blister pads, small flat package of unscented wipes (diaper bag size).        

More food items appreciated: 

granola bars, individually wrapped snack items—peanut butter & crackers, cheese & crackers, cookies, & nuts, 
cereal (small individual boxes please) and cereal bars, instant oatmeal or grits (indiv. packaged) and Pop Tarts,
mints (Altoids, Lifesavers, TicTacs, Starlight mints), raisins, dried fruit, trail mix, nuts in canisters or plastic jars,
spices, canned pasta (ravioli, beef-a-roni, ready to eat soup), ramen noodles in the flat packages, canned meat
such as tuna, chicken or turkey, canned tuna or meat, individual mayo and tuna in a snack bag, standard size
box of crackers to put tuna on (such as Ritz, Saltines), tuna lunch kits to go, cold drink mix packets for bottled
water (such as Crystal Lite To Go), powered Gatorade, gallon ziplock (critical shortage), quart ziplock,
sandwich ziplock, snack ziplock (critical shortage). 

Hawaiian Punch (tm) or Kool-Aid (tm) packets should be accompanied by sugar packets, as troops usually have
little access to sweeteners.  

More non-food items appreciated: 

CDs and DVDs (new or used), toilet paper (single
& double rolls), laundry detergent tablets, dryer fabric soften sheets (box of approx. 80 dryer sheets), Fabreeze,
writing home bag items, new pencils, mechanical pencils, blank birthday cards for soldier to send home, 
5” x 7” tablets of writing paper, puzzle books (crossword, word search & Suduko, AT&T International phone cards,
fill every nook and cranny items, disposable cameras, pocket packs of tissues, batteries (AA & AAA), playing cards,
Granola and rice krispy bars (store bought please), microwave popcorn, Individually wrapped bags of peanuts & other
nuts, slim jims

Items found around the house:

GENERAL INFORMATION

Letter Writing:  Letters to the soldiers from the hearts of the kids is very important and welcomed!  We will be happy to include letters in our packages. 

Sending Packages:  We send the troops things they usually cannot get in distant lands such as Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. 

Food & Beverage items we collect:  Items being sent are Individual fruit juices, snack bars, candy (no chocolate) of all kinds, beef jerky, similar non-perishable items, including but not limited to Vienna sausages, canned corned beef, Spam, canned tuna, peanut butter, granola bars, power bars, oatmeal & grits packets, popcorn (popped and microwave packs), dried fruit & nuts, processed cheese & crackers, hard candy (especially Lifesavers), Gatorade bars, Luna bars, instant coffee & cocoa, teabags, sugar packets, powdered creamer, sweetened Kool Aid/iced tea/lemonade mix packets, small individual servings of fruit (Sam’s carries a great selection), and any wrapped candy.  Power Bars are very popular and individual varieties of cheese and crackers.

Personal Items we collect:  Shaving cream, skin care products, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, Chap Stick, Visine, or any eye care product. Baby wipes, sunscreen. AA and AAA batteries, feminine products, foot powder, toilet paper, white socks, disposable cameras, underwear (boxers would be the best).

Literature & Media we collect:  newspapers, magazines, books, comic books, and stationery. When sending to an Islamic Country, please do not send Christian literature including Bibles. No advertisements for alcohol are allowed, including magazines and newspapers.  Send no magazine picture showing a lot of skin on a woman. Hometown newspapers are the most popular.

Best Cookies for Shipping:  What a great gift! Your best bet is cookies that are somewhat moist and flexible; this would include most drop cookies such as oatmeal or oatmeal raisin. Bar cookies or brownies without frosting travel the best.

We don't recommend shipping brittle cookies such as lace cookies, gingersnaps or other thin wafers, or cookies that are too crumbly, like sand tarts or shortbread. Cookies with sprinkles, powdered sugar or icing may not arrive in good shape either.

To help make sure gift cookies arrive intact, pack them well in layers of wax paper and paper towels. Keep the cookies between layers of wax paper so that they won't lose moisture to the paper towels; the paper towels are just the cushioning between the layers of wax-paper-wrapped cookies. And as a final precaution, place the container inside a box with plenty of crumpled newspaper, packing peanuts or other buffering material. Package in quart or gallon Ziploc baggies.

Box size: If you are going to pack your own boxes, use a 12 x 12 x 8” box. This is a convenient size and makes shipping easier. Include a note or card. Anything going overseas requires a Customs Declaration.

Items can be delivered to:  the Bloomingdale Fire Station 7 days a week, between the hours of 8 AM to 10 PM at 179 Bloomingdale Rd.  Please enter on the south side of the building and ring the doorbell.

The Bloomingdale Village Hall at 201 S. Bloomingdale also has a drop off box that can be accessed during normal operating hours of 8:30 Am to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

Cash Donations to cover shipping are welcomed. Please make checks payable to: VFW Post 7539.  Send them to VFW Post 7539, c/o Bloomingdale Public Library, 101 Fairfield Way, Bloomingdale, IL. 60108, and in the memo put "Support the Troops."

Note: All specific products mentioned above are trademarked by their various companies.

Notes:   First certificate of appreciation above from A Company, 448 Civil Affairs Battalion. 

            On 10 Feb 2003, through the Adopt-A-Unit Program, Bloomingdale VFW Post 7539
            received its Certificate of Adoption of A Company, 1-64 Armor Battalion.  

            1-1 ARB (Attack Reconnaissance Battalion) Gunfighters. 
            1st CAB (Combat Aviation Brigade), 1st Inf Div.   COB (Contingency Operating Base). 

            Second certificate of appreciate above from B Company "Diesel,"
            2-1 GSAB, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Inf Div.   

    

For more information, contact the Boomingdale VFW at 630- 894-5692

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