FAQ Marine Care Package Project from Marine Parents .com, Inc.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions for Contributors
MarineParents.com Care Package Project

These are the most frequently asked questions from people and organizations that make donations, contributions, or sponsor care packages for the MarineParents.com, Inc. Care Package Project. Please review this page to see if we have answered your question(s) here. Click a question to jump to the answer.

If after reading through this section, you still have more questions, please let us know! We'd love to hear from you. The easiest form of communcation is an online form you can use here: www.marineparentsinc.com/contact.asp, or you can also give us a call at 573-449-2003. You will often times get an answering machine, but please leave a message and one of our volunteers will get back with you as quickly as possible.

Do you or your organization retain any portion of the money donated for the care package sponsor or care package shipping as an administrative fee? If so how much?
No. Contributions for care package sponsorship are used only for purchasing care package items, and $7.70 from each sponsored package goes toward shipping costs. We ship using flat rate boxes that are provided by the US Post Office, so we have no costs associated with boxes, labels, or customs forms. The care packages are assembled by volunteers. No one is paid for the time they spend buying items, sorting, packaging, and finally delivery to the postal facility. We do have another category of donations that are for administrative costs. At this time, we do not have enough sponsors for the number of packages we ship each month, so we must continue to ask for donations for shipping costs as well; again, 100% of that funding is used for shipping costs.
Note: Each of the packages includes items we purchase using funds donated through the Care Package Sponsor donations, PLUS we add additional items that companies and/or individuals donate to the project. As an example, we get a lot of used paperback novels, used music CDs and used DVDs from individuals and we try to put one "entertainment" item in each care package. We have companies that donate ShaveMate razors (which include shaving cream in the handle of a disposable razor--perfect for the field), cigarettes, beef jerky, socks, boot insoles and other items which vary depending on the companies making the donations. The average value of a care package is actually $55 which includes $7.70 for shipping.
Where do you get the Marines names that you ship to?
The names we have in the database come from two sources: a) from Marine family members, and b) from Marines that are currently in combat zones that send us the names and addresses of their fellow Marines who are not receiving packages or letters from home.
You say that you send packages to Marines that are not getting packages. What are some of the reasons a Marine would get not receive packages?
We don't know all the reasons, but some likely would be financial--the family at home may not have resources. This tends to be the case for young married Marines with a spouse and/or children at home. Another could be that they don't have family.
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What can I do to help or be more involved?
We need help informing the public of our needs, holding care package drives, and assembling the care packages. See the questions below for specifics on each of these topics.
Is there a way to donate money?
Yes. You can donate by sending checks directly to MarineParents.com, Inc. or you may make a donation online using PayPal. For more information, please see Donate Shipping Funds.
Where can I donate items to be sent to the Marines?
We currently have three packing facilities; one each in Columbia Missouri, Beaumont Texas, and Elk Grove Village Illinois (the Chicago area). To donate items, you need to complete an online form to let us know what you will be donating. At the time your notification is sent to us, you'll receive an email with the address for one of the shipping centers. We rotate receipt of items to each shipping center based on need. We have plans to open additional shipping centers as resources become available to us. Items can be shipped via US Mail, UPS, FedEx, DHL, or other courier of your choice. Special arrangements will need to be made if your shipment is large enough to require a dock to receive the items. For more information, please see To Donate Items.
Do you need volunteers to assemble the care packages?
Yes, however, because our shipping centers are few, it's difficult to recruit folks from around the US to assist with assembling the care packages on the packing days. However, if you are near one of our facilities and would like to help, please contact us via phone at 573-449-2003. You may get an answering machine, but please leave a message and a representative will return your call.
May I request donations on behalf of MarineParents.com?
At this time, we need your help spreading the word about the care package project. By referring friends, family, and acquaintances to the web site, they can choose to make a donation or contribution of items or letters. If you would like to encourage folks to become a care package sponsor, see the section under "You Can Help" titled "Requesting Donations".
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How do I become a Care Package Sponsor?
It's simple. We have a form you can use online to become a sponsor using PayPal and a major credit card. Click here for the online form. We also have a form you can print, then complete, and mail it with your check or money order directly to MarineParents.com, Inc. Click here for the printable form (the link will open in a new window).
My office or organization would like to sponsor several Marines. Is that possible?
Absolutely! We have a form that you can print and copy. You can give the form to each member of your organization for their personal contribution in the name of your organization, or your organization may opt to complete one form and send one check or money order. Sending in all of the completed forms with personal and/or organizational checks at the same time will assure proper recognition on the web site. Click here for the printable form (the link will open in a new window).
By selecting a monthly care package sponsor, would the same Marine get our sponsored package each month?
Not necessarily, but it could happen on an off-chance. Administratively, because we are limited with man-power resources per our all-volunteer staff, we can't track which Marine's care package(s) your name goes into, and it will likely be different each month. Our database of names changes frequently as the Marine units rotate in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Will the Marine receiving our package also receive our name and address?
Yes. If you sponsor one care package, then your name and address will go inside one care package which is sent to one Marine. If you sponsor one care package for 6 months, your name will go inside one care package each month for 6 months (it likely will not be the same Marine that receives each of those packages). If you sponsor 5, 10, 25 (or more) care packages, your name goes into 5, 10 or 25 care packages. If you sponsor multiple care packages for 6 months, then each month your name will go into that number of care packages for 6 months. For example, if you sponsor 5 care packages for 6 months, your name would go into 30 different care packages over the course of the 6 months.
Note: We do have people that make contributions as a care package sponsor but choose NOT to include their name and address. That's up to you.
Can we choose a Marine from our hometown?
This answer has a couple of different layers.
- If you've got the name and overseas mailing address for a Marine (or soldier) in your home town, then certainly you can independently send care packages to that Marine and we don't have to be involved at all.
- If you have a Marine in your home town and you have his mailing address overseas, you can add his/her name to our database using "Request a Care Package for Your Marine". We'll ship a care package to the Marine each month for the duration of his/her deployment.
- We may or may not have the Marine from your hometown in our database. If we did, it's not possible (administratively) to assure that your packages go to that Marine each month.
Note: We have a father of a Marine that is physically home bound and shopping for items to send to his son is almost impossible for him to do. He sent us his sons overseas mailing address using the "Request a Package" link, PLUS he sent in a donation. We also have Marines that send us special requests, and we do everything in our power to try to accomodate their request. We had a Marine that asked for crayons to give to the Iraqi children. A local company donated a case, and off they went. Another Marine asked for a pair of Mechanics Gloves and we had the resources to take care of that request. Little things come up all the time that we need to make exception for.
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