The Care Package Project Comes to a Close

The End of an Era Saturday, July 18, 2015 saw the end of an era as approximately 30 volunteers from Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin joined us at our corporate office in Columbia, MO, to be a part of the Care Package Project's final pack day. The theme for this final pack day was "Help Our Troops Beat the Heat This Summer," and each care package contained high-electrolyte drink tablets and Frogg Togg cooling towels in addition to snacks, toiletries, and letters of support from individuals across America. As usual, a great time was had by all who attended pack day and the time flew by. As the day drew to an end, a sense of nostalgia hung in the air as the volunteers began to leave. Some chose to stick around after pack day to enjoy a pizza lunch, reminisce about the pack days they've attended over the years, and bid farewell to the friends they've made in that time. It wasn't all sad, however, as everyone seemed excited about the organization returning to its roots. Thank You to our Volunteers - Past and Present We'd like to thank everyone who has made our pack days so special over the last 10 years. With your steadfast dedication to our troops, we've sent more than 40,000 care packages over the last decade. This level of support is truly amazing, and we could not have done it without you. Thank you so much for supporting our troops. A Different Type of Care Package As the focus and needs in the War on Terror have shifted and as the number of deployed American troops has decreased and more of our combat veterans have returned home, there has been a corresponding shift in the types of care packages that our service members and veterans find helpful and necessary. Therefore, we urge you to transfer your Care Package Project support and donations to our WST outreach program. Through the WST, the same service members and veterans who have benefited from your past contributions to the Care Package Project may now need a different type of support. With your help, these service members will continue to receive that support as they meet the challenges of their recovery and reintegration processes head-on. The Warrior Support Team, like the Care Package Project before it, directly benefits service members and veterans. The WST also works to prevent suicide among veterans through our peer mentoring program. In addition, we help bring light to the recovery process with our dinners for recovering warriors and their families at military medical centers on both coasts. What's Next? What Happens to My Ongoing Donation? All donors will be notified about the transition from the Care Package Project. In that correspondence, we have given a time frame that will allow donors to transfer the beneficiary of their donations to the Warrior Support Team. We encourage the transition from the Care Package Project to the Warrior Support Team because both programs share the benefit of helping service members directly. WST addresses one of the most difficult challenges that our veterans face, yet the issue is the most unacknowledged by the public. We hope that our donors will continue their contributions once the men and women they've supported overseas finally come home. How Can I support the Troops Now? With a shift in the war and as our combat troops come home, there is a similar shift in the types of care packages they find helpful and necessary. Our care packages are taking a different shape, but the outcome of our work stays the same: we help troops and veterans and their families cope with the challenges of war. The Warrior Support Team, like the Care Package Project, directly benefits service members, but it goes beyond. We work to prevent suicide in veterans with our peer mentoring program and help bring light to recovery with our dinners. For more information please visit WarriorSupportTeam.com. I Very Much Want to Help Send Care Packages to Troops Overseas. Are There Any Programs That You Recommend I Support? We recommend you support the LCpl Eric Palmisano Care Package Project if you are interested in working with a care package program. Gold Star Mom Bobbie Palmisano has been sending care packages to troops since her son, Eric, was KIA in April of 2006. The Palmisano Care Package Project is a 501(c)(3) Non Profit Charitable Corporation.  Click For More Frequently Asked Questions The Care Package Project™ is an outreach program of MarineParents.com, Inc. MarineParents.com, Inc. is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) public charity. MarineParents.com, Inc. was founded in January 2003 in response to parents' needs to find information and to have a Place to Connect and Share® with one another during deployments. Our free online services and connections have expanded to support and educate Marine moms and dads, spouses, families and friends. We've helped more than 1,600,000 Marine and recruit families during boot camp, training, active-duty and deployments. We've shipped more than 40,000 care packages overseas to our Marines in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa, sent almost 100,000 letters to injured Marines and served thousands of meals to wounded heroes and their families on the East and West coasts. You've found a Place to Connect and Share.®  a Place to Connect & Share®

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