Packing boxes for the Troops
Jan. 25th, 2013 08:28 pmOn Thursday afternoon I drove down to the Redmond VFW to help count and sort out items for the box-stuffing that night...

So, what do we have for the boxes? This week, each one gets a magazine, a book, a can of beef ravioli, four packets of hot chocolate, four packets of instant oatmeal, Starburst, a pair of socks, a chocolate bar (right now we're in the narrow window of time when we can actually send chocolate without worrying that it will melt), a bundle of six Zip-lock bags of various sizes, a pen, a toothbrush, Chapstick, a roll of Mentos, Neosporin, toothpaste, snack-size package of cookies (Nutter Butter, Chips Ahoy or Oreos), three packs of gum, five disposable razors, a travel pack of Kleenex, snack-size Corn Nuts, snack-size box of raisins, small packet of Skittles, package of beef jerky, bag of cough drops, nail clippers, Tic-Tacs, dental floss, ibuprofen, a travel pack of Wet Ones, Gold Bond Foot Powder, eye drops, five packets of Crystal Light, a small packet of Q-Tips, small packet of cotton balls, five individual packets of coffee (a mix of different types, including Starbucks Via) and a Beanie Baby (these are apparently very popular as mascots and as gifts for Afghan children). And then the whole thing is topped off with a handful or two of loose hard candy.
I'm always amazed at how much stuff we're able to cram into those boxes... although that's part of the fun. It's a bit like playing a real life 3-D game of Tetris.
Lately, I haven't been going to the night time box-stuffing meeting... mostly because there are usually a ton of people there and they don't really need the extra hands. This week, though, I decided to go and it was a really good thing. We had only about a quarter the number of people who usually show up. I'm not really sure why, but it meant they could really use every pair of hands they could get. I ended up packed six boxes in total.

Like I said, we were *seriously* understaffed this week... But we still managed to do it!
100 Boxes, ready to send to Afghanistan.

Crossposted from my Livejournal

So, what do we have for the boxes? This week, each one gets a magazine, a book, a can of beef ravioli, four packets of hot chocolate, four packets of instant oatmeal, Starburst, a pair of socks, a chocolate bar (right now we're in the narrow window of time when we can actually send chocolate without worrying that it will melt), a bundle of six Zip-lock bags of various sizes, a pen, a toothbrush, Chapstick, a roll of Mentos, Neosporin, toothpaste, snack-size package of cookies (Nutter Butter, Chips Ahoy or Oreos), three packs of gum, five disposable razors, a travel pack of Kleenex, snack-size Corn Nuts, snack-size box of raisins, small packet of Skittles, package of beef jerky, bag of cough drops, nail clippers, Tic-Tacs, dental floss, ibuprofen, a travel pack of Wet Ones, Gold Bond Foot Powder, eye drops, five packets of Crystal Light, a small packet of Q-Tips, small packet of cotton balls, five individual packets of coffee (a mix of different types, including Starbucks Via) and a Beanie Baby (these are apparently very popular as mascots and as gifts for Afghan children). And then the whole thing is topped off with a handful or two of loose hard candy.
I'm always amazed at how much stuff we're able to cram into those boxes... although that's part of the fun. It's a bit like playing a real life 3-D game of Tetris.
Lately, I haven't been going to the night time box-stuffing meeting... mostly because there are usually a ton of people there and they don't really need the extra hands. This week, though, I decided to go and it was a really good thing. We had only about a quarter the number of people who usually show up. I'm not really sure why, but it meant they could really use every pair of hands they could get. I ended up packed six boxes in total.

Like I said, we were *seriously* understaffed this week... But we still managed to do it!
100 Boxes, ready to send to Afghanistan.

Crossposted from my Livejournal