#38 Send A Care Package To Someone

A great way to spend time with your kids is to send a care package to the military

Send A Care Package To Someone In The Military:

The best dates often seem to be the ones where you and your child get to spend quality one-on-one time together while helping others at the same time. This date is designed to reach out and say thank you to our military, but you can change it to serve any community or group. The concept is simple, but you and your child can take it and run together, or involve and help as many people as you like.

Knowing someone currently deployed in the military is a great place to start, but not necessary. If you do know someone, this allows you to reach out to friends or family here to brainstorm on what to send them. They’ll know the perfect items to include. If you don’t know of anyone currently deployed, I’ve provided reference sites below. They’ll walk you through the process of identifying who – and how – to send your care package. Also, one of the most important things is to include a handwritten letter to the person you’re sending the package to. This may be more meaningful than the actual items you’re sending

WMTDS (What Makes This Date Special):

The idea and process is simple, yet very meaningful to the person you’re sending it to. Don’t overcomplicate the date; just enjoy spending time together picking out the items for the package.

Teachable Moments:

Helping others.

Appreciation and a greater understanding of the military.

Compassion, concern, empathy for others.

Research and organization.

This date allows you to teach your child about helping others. It also allows you to teach them more about the group, military or otherwise, that you’ve decided to support. If you’re sending a care package to someone in the military, you have an opportunity to emphasize the importance of the military. You can talk about how soldiers protect us and the sacrifices that come with their service. You’re also teaching your children that they can do something meaningful on their own to help others.

Variations:

There are lots of variations to this date, most of which deal with who receives the care package. The military, of course, is a great cause, but here are a few other groups to consider:

Cancer patients or those suffering from other illnesses
Single moms
New parents
Children of inmates
Inmates themselves
College students
Widow(er)s in your community
Homeless population

One idea is to do one care package per month for a year. Make a tradition of it. Amazon (see below) also offers excellent options if you want to continue doing this.

Expense:

You don’t have to spend a lot. Spend what works for your budget. Take your time to put it together, celebrating the journey together. Your time together and the cause are much more meaningful than how much you spend filling the package.

A great way to spend time with your kids is to send a care package to the military

Planning:

The only preparation needed is to determine who you are going to be sending the package to and what service you want to use. Beyond that, assemble the care package, write the letter, and mail them both.