[angelsonmyside]

kattracks

If you call UPS and ask for the Military Package they send you the following, free of charge.... Proirity Flat Rate Boxes, Priority packing tape, labels, custom forms, both for 4lbs and under and some for larger than 4 lbs including the sleeves for it to go into. This is free for Family and Friends of Deployed Soldiers and comes right to your front door. It has made my life a lot easier, I simply tape the bottom of the boxes and have them ready to fill. I try to pick up a few items everytime I go to the store. So after a few grocery shopping trips there full and ready to go.

Of course I no longer have a dining table but heck we like to watch TV while we eat anyway, lol.

[kattracks]

Thank you. I'll give UPS a call and get some of their boxes too. Whatever I get will sure beat having to pick up boxes each time I go to the PO. We are almost on a first name basis there and I am waiting for them to get me my own mug. I have to say that they are most supportive at my local PO when they see where the boxes are going. I have explained about "The Merry Band of Patriots" because they kept asking if I was sending the boxes to a family member serving in Iraq. One of the clerks never fails to ask me how our group is doing.

There's also a young clerk at my local supermarket who packs groceries (paper or plastic) and she had made a comment to me once that my family must sure like snacks. I explained to her who those snacks were for and now, whenever she's packing my stuff, she always mentions the troops and asks about our group.

We have a room here that we had made into an "office" of sorts, which has now become a mini warehouse. I too always pick up items with each shopping trip, not to mention the trips I make strictly to pick up goodies for our troops. Wow, that stuff sure does accumulate quickly. At the moment I have two full boxes almost ready to go to Iraq (have to fill out those pesky custom forms) and one for the troops at Walter Reed (no custom form... thank goodness). This leaves me now with only about three bunches of items to sort and package. I have started gathering Valentine's goodies for my next shipment (after this one) and I'm happy they come out early so that I can send them in time for Valentine's Day.

Thank you for the list and the suggestion on the Jerky. I'll have to find a local sporting good store and pick some up.