I haven't seen this topic and I was hoping to get some insight. Do you all pick one or two people and keep sending them things, or do you send new people boxes all the time, or some sort of combo?

 So far I've sent 3 boxes to 3 different people, but was just curious how you all went about it?

 

Different strokes for different folks.  Everyone choses their own way of sending things.  Some will chose a contact and continue to send throughtout the deployment.  Others will send one time to different folks.  It is all in what you are comfortable doing.

Be sure to include a letter inside your package.  Sometimes this is all they are really looking forward to receiving.  Knowing that someone cares can carry them through many trials and tribulations.

I began sending to a new unit every time, but now that I've received some cards back, I am starting to just send to the same units over and over.

I'll pick a new contact now and then and send a card.  I send cards to a lot of different units... it's a little easier financially :)

I generally stick with the same groups until they come home or they move to old contacts.

We do a combination of ways.  If we pick someone up at the beginning of their tour, we send what we can as often as we can unless it happens that they become one of those units that have such a large following that we believe we could be more useful to someone else.  If someone mentions that they received so much that they were overwhelmed, which has happened several time to our units, we hold off until we feel they need more support.  We don't send repeated packages to someone just because we happen to have their name and address.  We go a lot on instinct or what they have to say.  Some units have actually posted that they don't need anything at the time, and to go ahead and support someone else  We try to keep up with them in case they lose all their supporters.  Often we send just a few packages to someone who has posted that they haven't gotten anything for a period of time - then we discontinue sending them packages and tell them that it is our intent to send temporarily and then get back to sending to our regular contacts. 

If someone asks for something in particular that we have on hand, we may send that, and nothing else, especially if it is a chaplain who is representing a huge number, and we can't make a dent in their total needs.

To us, any kind of support sent to them that they need, even a friendly note from a fellow American or other friendly country's citizen, can only lift their spirits, which is what we are all about.

 

I stick to a group or groups through out their deployment. That's just the way I do it. There isn't any right way to do it. Just do whatyou can, it is all appreciated!

Heidi

I tend to chose contacts requested fewer times and then support them througout their deployment.  Although I try to keep in mind that the number of times requested can be skewed by people that request and only send one package or one letter, I can only support so many at once and the number of requests is often a deciding factor. 

Sometimes I will see a contact with numerous requests that I skip over only to see them update later saying that they haven't received any support recently.  I feel bad then because had I known that they were not getting continual support, I would have chosen them. 

I think even if it's a letter every now and then to let them know they are still in your thoughts, once you request a contact, you should continue to support them, but that's just me.  I typically don't request a contact unless I can commit to their deployment. 

I also stick with a contact through the deployment unless they are dropped for "not being heard from."  I hate to send one or two care packages to a group that has 200 or 400 people and then stop supporting them unless they post that they've gotten too much already.  As long as they keep their AS page updated, I keep sending, even if they don't respond directly to me. 

If it appears a contact is getting a lot of support, I'll sometimes cut back to sending just cards of support and concentrate my available $$ on a contact that needs more supplies. 

 

In some cases I do. I have even supported the same soldier through several deployments. I tend to resend when I hear back, then I know they got my package and that I sent the right things. I try to personalize the next package based on what the note might say. One guy mentioned that he liked to surf, so I got my local surf shop to donate surfing magazines, another played the drums and mentioned that he needed new drumsticks, so he got them. Still another said the bugs were bad so I sent cans of bug spray and boxes of OFF wipes. It's nice to be able to send something they will really appreciate. Some like to write back and others email. I have once even got a phone call from Iraq from a soldier I had sent a lot to who simply wanted to thank me. To say I was thrilled would be an understatement.

 Even if I can not afford send packages all through the deployment, I do try to send letters and cards just to let them know they are not forgotten.

Like someone else said, even if they don't write back, as long as the website is updated then I know the address is still good and I continue to send. I have only sent to one contact after dropping off of anysoldier. That is because she told me she still wanted letters/cards and she did keep in touch by email when she could. Otherwise, if I don't hear back or see website updates then I assume the address is no longer good.

Each to his/her own way on this topic.

Personally, I send at least one or more boxes to every contact I pick up. I have alot go inactive so that means I have to pick up new contacts which is OK too. If someone writes me back, that guarantees a stream of support boxes from me. If they never write back (and there's no explanation on their posting such as limited Internet, no mail service etc) then one or two boxes from me is usually it & I pick a new contact to replace them. As to how the # of hits translates into how much support...I asked the one contact I met personally  (who had 120+ hits) and he said alot were letters. Relatively few (less than 10) were folks that continually sent boxes thruout the deployment (Junkies?) But most importantly, he said ALL the support was fantastic, valuable and very important to his guys. Interesting. And for you newbies, don't expect everyone to write you back. Based on my experience, no matter what I send, I only hear back about 50-60% of the time. Relatively few contacts will acknowlege every box but some will. But when anybody does reply, it's very precious to me & spurs me on to keep doing this.

 I know this thread is somewhat old, but I also do not get responses very often--maybe 30% of the time. They usually come via e-mail but I've also gotten letters.

 I usually try to pick contacts that are a couple of weeks old and who have not been requested very many times. The last I sent to had a two-month old listing that had been requested about five times as of the time I got the address; subsequently it was updated and got a few more requests. So far, I usually have just sent one package, although I've sent follow-ups to a couple of people.

 Sometimes I'll do a word search for something I have on hand to find people who are looking for whatever I have an excess of.

 

Our group does do repeat packages, especially to the chaplains who have access to as many as 1000 troops.  We don't hear from many, but the cards we get are very appreciative.  The chaplains are very good at responding.  If we get a card from an individual, that results in an automatic pkg next mailing.  We have had some (females mostly) that reply and we get acquainted with.  We're concerned about the guys in remote areas of Afghanistan that may not have the means to reply or even update their posting.  They usually don't have PX or way to get anything and are living on MREs and get pkgs dropped in by helicopter.  The dilemma is whether to keep sending or not, when the site has declared them "inactive".  What do you think?

I almost always try to send to the most remote guys I can find. This means my contacts have a high rate of going 'inactive' after a couple of months. It concerns me, but I'll usually send another box or two (but only if I have heard from them, knowing the address is good), gently reminding them they've gone inactive and that if they repost, they'll get more support. I also include a self addressed envelope, paper & pen & my email to make it easier for them to reply.  Discouraging when you don't hear? Yes, very. But I would do it again in a blink. None of the pkgs ever got sent sent back so I can only suppose they received them and had no way to reply.

I also send boxes to soldiers in the most remote areas. I haven't a problem with boxes being returned but once. I haven't heard from anyone since the beginning of May but I have faith that they are getting them. I just feel they are going to the right places. All my contacts have been off the web page for months. This is a really bad time now and it is too much to expect anything from them but trying to stay alive. But this is the time they need support the most. Have started to send those musical card between packages. If you don't want to risk losing a package at least write them regularly.