When it comes to deployment, morale boosters are vital for both the deployed and the loved ones they’ve left back at home. Picking and choosing items to send to your special someone deployed in a dangerous area can help you feel infinitely closer to them, even when thousands of miles of separation lay in your way. As you begin to gather items to send over to that dedicated service member, consider his or her personal likes and dislikes and use this list as the perfect jumping-off point to ensure their package brings a smile to even the darkest of days.

carepackage

Meal Enhancers

Five-star meals aren’t the norm during deployment, so you can make your service member’s day by sending along a cache of their favorite snacks. Food eaten during deployment tends to be on the bland side, so sending along meal enhancers can help your service member look forward to dinner time again. It could be hot sauce packets, condiments, their favorite spices, and flavoring packets for water that can help them keep hydrated during long days spend in the hot sun. When it comes to food items, always be sure to send non-perishables.

Foot Care

Service members’ feet take a beating during deployment, so anything you can send along to keep those tootsies feeling their best will be much appreciated. Put together a small foot care kit with some Gold Bond foot powder, Lotrimin for its anti-itch properties, fun Stance socks to put a smile on their face, bandages, flip flops for the shower, and anything else you can think of that will give those hard-worn feet the tender, loving care they need.

Some Sentimental Goodies

When far from home, few things can provide as much comfort as sweet words. Sit down and write letters that can get your service member through down days. Write sweet sentiments, talk about your favorite memories and write about the memories you can’t wait to make in the future. You can send along multiple envelopes at a time, and on the outside of each, write instructions for when the letters should each be opened. One could say “Open on a rainy day” or “Open when you’re feeling blue”. As anyone who’s dealt with deployment before knows, service men and women often are away during holidays or special occasions. Think about the holidays on the horizon and address some envelopes appropriately: “Read me on your birthday” or “Open me on Easter morning”.

Send Along Some Special Memories

Are there any milestones your service member has missed? Whether it’s the baby in the family’s first steps, a birthday celebration for Great Aunt Beth, or Dad’s retirement party, filming the festivities and asking family and friends to record a special message will be the perfect way to help them feel close, even from halfway across the globe. Load the footage onto a USB stick and send it off; it’s a gift they’re sure to love and definitely proven to help them feel more involved in all the happenings back home.

Some Good Tunes

In the face of hard times, music has always offer some amazing healing properties. Grant your service member with the gift of music by sending along a Bluetooth audio player so they can help get the party started and the good times rolling when they have downtime.

An E-Reader

There are many moments of downtime when deployed, and sending along items to combat this boredom is sure to be greatly appreciated. One easy way to whittle away the long hours? Reading. Instead of being forced to carry around books and leave them in various areas, send your service member an e-reader that’s loaded with all the latest and greatest titles you think they’ll enjoy.

Some Hygiene Options

It’s not always easy to practice proper hygiene when deployed, but you can make it as easy as possible by sending along their commonly used and requested hygiene options. From a great toothbrush to baby wipes, laundry detergent to body wash, consider what might be most useful when showers and running water aren’t easily accessed.

The best care packages contain the right balance of useful, practical items and sentimental gifts that will help your special service member weather any hard times that come their way while deployed.

Disclosure: This is a guest post .

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Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.

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