What to pack in your HeroBox

Feb 24

Mailing a Military care package on a regular basis can be a whole lot of fun. But, what do you do when your Hero only has one or two items on their wish list? Or what if they have items that you don’t have access to or are just out of your budget?

We, at HeroBox, have come up with a fool-proof way to meet your adopted service member’s needs! Every great care package, or HeroBox should contain items from the categories listed below.

Instant drink mixes

Drink mixes offer a quick and easy alternative to, the always available, water! Hydration is important, but it should never be boring. Many service members have access to a coffee pot and/or hot water. Some options include…

Water enhancing flavor (i.e Mio)

Hot cocoa
Instant iced tea
Instant coffee
Tea bags
Creamer
Instant lemonade

CONDIMENTS

Heroes have access to many nutritional meals, but they can get monotonous! Condiments from back home can provide a nice break to the “same ol same ol” and sometimes add some flavor from home. It’s a good practice for ALL of these to go into a zipper bag before packed in your HeroBox!

Relish
Hot sauce

Mustard
Ketchup (if your Hero is from Texas...Whataburger Ketchup!)
Honey (in packets, not a bottle!)
Nutella
Peanut butter

SNACKS

This category is an easy one. Basically, if you can eat it out of your pantry with no prep, it’s a winner! These items are ones where temperature and climate shouldn’t be an issue.

Crackers

Candy (non-chocolate)
Packaged cookies
Nuts and trail mix
Dried fruits
GUM!!!!

On-The-Go Protein

It’s a good idea to ask your Hero if they are on a restrictive diet. These items can get pricey and you’d hate to send some of these items to find they are eating a plant-based diet. Most will share their items if they won’t eat them themselves, but it’s always a better feeling when your Hero can use everything you take the time to send. Here are some recommendations.

Protein bars (Cliff Bars, Lara Bars, etc.)

Granola bars
Tuna pouches
Beef jerky
Vienna sausages

Toiletries and Entertainment

These items are fairly specific to you Hero’s personal needs. If your Hero doesn’t have anything listed in this category, they may not need or want items in this category. Many service members bring their favorites and some have access to small stores to purchase things they prefer. This is a list of very basic things that most service members will appreciate.