Donations of items (see list below) or cash will be accepted through November 18; Cash donations will be used to purchase additional items or pay for the postage to send them. The US Postal Service provides free boxes to send these items at a flat rate of $12.
The donations should reach the troops a couple of weeks before Christmas. Cards and letters are also welcome.
Donations can be delivered to the HW Career Center. For more information, please contact Ruben Amavisca at ramavisa@hjuhsd.k12.ca.us.
Requested Donations:
(List provided by give2thretroops.org - ALL CAPS items are most requested and needed.)
FOOD, SNACKS AND DRINKS:
- BEEF JERKY / SLIM JIMS
- COFFEE (Ground or whole; instant or drip. Ground is preferred)
- POWDER DRINK MIX (Gatorade, Kool-Aid, Crystal Light)
- SUNFLOWER SEEDS & PUMPKIN SEEDS
- TUNA & CHICKEN SALAD (in foil pouches, or ready-to-eat kits (no cans)
- PROTEIN POWDER & PROTEIN BARS
- CHOCOLATE PRODUCTS
- Hot Chocolate packets, Herbal teas
- Hard Pretzels / Cheetos / Fritos / Chex Mix / Wheat Thins / Ritz
- Gum / Hard Candy (must be individually wrapped in large bags)
- Granola Bars / Power Bars / Cereal Bars / Cliff Bars
- Fig Newtons, Oreos, Cheese & Crackers - Small Packs
- Trail Mix, Dried Fruit, Granola, Fruit Roll-Ups / Fruit By The Foot / Fruit Gummies
- DRY SOUP: (Ramen Noodles / Cup-O-Soup: just add water)
- NUTS: Peanuts, Mixed Nuts (salted preferred)
- MICROWAVE FOOD (Popcorn, Chef-Boy-R-Dee, Mac'n'Cheese, etc.)
- COOKIES / Girl Scout Cookie
- Rice Krispie Treats (store-bought only)
- Little Debbies® & Hostess® cake products
- Oatmeal Packs (Instant: Just add water)
- Cereal (Small, individual boxes)
- Condiments, Spices; Sugar; Salad Dressing (no glass jars)
- Caffeinated gum or candy
Note: Some troops have allergies & need brand name toiletries that list all ingredients. The military issues toiletries to our troops, however troops often miss their favorite brand of shampoo or soap. Our goal is to send troops reminders of home & items they miss.
- BABY WIPES (travel size)
- HAND SANITIZER (travel size)
- Body Wash, Liquid Soap, Facial Cleanser
- Shampoo /Conditioner (travel size)
- Hair Gel (for female troops to pull hair back)
- Combs / Brushes / Bobby Pins (in original packaging, please)
- Deodorant (travel size)
- Razors (disposable or "Intuition" or "Mach 3" types)
- Shaving Cream in Tubes / Shaving Soap (No CANS of Shaving Cream, please!)
- Lip balm / Chap Stick / Carmex / Blistex
- Baby Powder & Foot Powder (travel size)
- Tissues (individual packs; travel size only)
- Hand & Body Lotion / Moisturizer (travel size)
- Sunblock, SPF 45, Zinc, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera Gel
- Bug Spray / DEET / Skin-So-Soft
- Mouthwash (travel size)
- Toothpaste & Toothbrushes & Dental Floss
- Breath Mints / Breath Strips
- Lozenges / Cough Drops
- Loufa Sponges / Buff Puffs / Washcloths
- Nail files / Emery Boards / Nail Clippers
- Feminine Hygiene Products
- Cotton Swabs (i.e. Q-tips) - also used to clean guns!
- Cotton Balls
- Band-aids, Gauze Pads, First Aid Kits / Ace bandages, Icy Hot or Bengay cream
- Moleskin
- Shoe Insole Cushions (gel kind is best)
- Tylenol, Motrin, Advil or Aspirin Packets
- Eye Drops (i.e. Visine)
- Nasal Spray
- Vitamins (multi-vitamins are always needed!)
- BATTERIES: (AA, AAA, C & 9 Volt are the most requested)
- DVD Movies (new or used - recent releases only, please!)
- Xbox Games, PSP, PS2 & PS3 Games (new or used)
- iTunes® Gift Cards
- 35 mm disposable cameras
- Computer Flash Drives & Thumb Drives
- Portable CD players / head phones
- Electronic handheld games
- Small homemade gifts - reminders & comforts of "home"
- Small photographs or posters of scenery for their tents & walls
- Pens & mechanical pencils, small note pads
- Stationery & Envelopes; blank cards to send home
- Double-sided tape, small crafts kits, scrap-booking items
- Day planners / Calendars / Small, Pocket Calendars
- Game Books: (Crossword Puzzles / Word Search Books / Math Puzzle books / MAD LIBS / Logic Problems / Sudoku)
- Yo-Yo's, Dominoes, Playing Cards (new), Poker Chips & Mats, Dice
- Board games (UNO, Othello, Checkers - travel size is great, too!)
- Dart Boards (regular or magnetic - any size)
- Nerf Footballs / Whiffle bats, balls & Mitts / Sports equipment
- Frisbees / Hackey sacks
- Music CDs, Magazines & Books
- Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener::Bold Powder, Cheer Liquid (all versions),Cheer Powder (all versions),All Powder (all versions),Surf Powder (all versions),Woolite (all versions)
- FLASHLIGHTS - SMALL (battery operated. Surefire Brand preferred)
- AIR FRESHENERS (standalone-not plug-in. Car types are also good)
- SOCKS: Black, Olive Green & White (cotton or wool)
- PHONE CARDS - Pre-Paid (Click HERE for Where to Buy and What Types of Phone Cards to Buy from Third-Party Vendors)
- Small toys (Beanie babies) & school supplies for Iraqi & Afghan children
- Patriotic knick-knacks, USA flags, flags from your state, bandanas, baseball hats, football jerseys, banners to tack on their walls or tents.
- Black or Green duct tape, small tool kits, dust masks, carpentry tools, Fly swatters, fly paper, mosquito netting, bug repellent in plastic pump bottles only (NO AEROSOL CANS, PLEASE!)
- Paint brushes, adhesive wall hooks
- Gun cleaning supplies (lube) such as Militec-1 & CLP
- Generic sunglasses (Ballistic, black only. No "mirror" types)
- Alarm Clocks (Small in size; wind-battery-operated)
