Newsletter

I want to remind you of our quarterly meeting tomorrow afternoon, September 21ST at 6:00PM at the HHAFFA office located at 620 H Street.

If possible Joyce would like anyone in attendance to bring a bag of candy for safe night, for Halloween. That would be very much appreciated.

Our ride event is coming up very fast! Everyone volunteering, and making soups and goodies, please bring them between 1:30 and 2:00PM. At the Thornton Park Pavilion. I will be bringing the coffee and donuts for the morning, during registration.

Another event coming up on us fast is our Christmas packing party. I have a list of popular items listed below. We do need donations, and I hope this list will help.We need to make sure everyone's contact info is updated. I'm asking everyone to send the most recent address of your loved one, along with a parent's, and or spouse's contact info.We don't want to forget anyone this holiday season!

Thank all of you for everything!
GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!

Please consider donating from the "most requested" items list here. Travel-size and single-serving size work best. (see below for specifics on these most requested items)
Single-serving size snacks and non-perishable food items, particularly tuna kits, beef jerky, canned fruit (small containers; pop-top lid), dried fruit, nuts and other healthy snacks
Pre-sweetened flavored beverage mixes (smaller sizes please)
Toothbrushes
Body wash liquid (no pump dispensers please)
Socks (bootcut, black)
Letters of support
Gum, Lifesavers, Mints (blister pack gum is best because of the intense heat)
Fruit: single serving size cans of fruit, dried fruit (Note: Plastic fruit cups with the plastic seal are not recommended as they can open in transit; individual-size cans are preferred.)
Nuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts, trail mix
Power bars, protein bars, nutritional bars
Beef jerky, beef summer sausage (non-perishable; labeled USDA Beef)
Single-serving bags of snacks, crackers, snack mixes
Pop Tarts, cereal bars, "milk & cereal" bars, granola bars
Ramen Noodles, Cup-O-Noodles serving cups
Ravioli and other canned ready-to-eat meals (canned or styrofoam single serving are best)
Chicken or Tuna lunch kits (includes foil pouch of tuna, crackers, and condiments in each single-serving kit)
Canned sardines, smoked oysters
Jalepeno Velveeta® and crackers
Taco Bell® Sauce Packets
Seasoning salts, flavoring salts
Cheese dips in plastic or canned (NO glass please)
Do not send bags of chips. They will not make the transition.

Do not send glass containers. Pork and pork by-products are not allowed to be shipped to most Middle East combat locations. Please send non-perishable foods only. Single-serving package sizes are preferred; large packages won't stay fresh and are harder to ship. If you can stuff it in your pocket and it's not going to spoil or melt during the summer season, it's a good thing to send!

Ground coffee, coffee drink powder
Hot cocoa mix
Lemonade mix, Kool-Aid® mix, Tang®, Iced Tea mix
Gatorade® mix (powdered only)
Crystal Light® (or other brand) "On The Go" flavor packets (these come in a box of several sleeves of flavoring that can be added to a 16-20 oz. water bottle.
Sugar and creamer packets for coffee
Personal Items:
Disposable cameras
Envelopes and paper
Small pads of paper
Drawing pads (small)
Small, blank journals
Small pocket notebooks
Hacky Sacks, Tennis Balls
Hand-held games
Movie DVDs (new or used; original only)
Music CDs (new or used; original only)
Cotton socks,
Boot liners/insoles
Odor eaters for boots
Lotrimin AF or Tinactin for athletes foot (tubes of ointment or cream, or the bottle of drops; please do not send the aerosol spray type)
Medicated Foot Powder, Medicated Foot Swabs (Gold Bond Preferable)
Moleskin (for pads on sore feet, you'll find it with Dr. Scholls type things at WalMart or drug stores)
Band Aids (sweat/water resistant)
Do not send baby powder
Footcare is critical and the demand for quality products is very high. Be sure that all items are in the original, sealed packages.
Sunblock (travel size preferable, SPF 30+)
Throat Lozenges
Gum, Lifesavers, Mints
Eye Drops (to relieve dry eye, not redness)
Blistex, Chapstick (in stick-tubes rather than tubs, not tinted)
Aspirin, Motrin, Tylenol, Midol, Pain Relievers (small containers)
Saline spray/drops for sensitive nasal passages
Q-tips
Eyeglass wipes

Lip balm is in high demand in desert areas. The lipstick-style tubes that you apply directly to your lips are preferred over the "tub" style. Eyedrops are to relieve dry eyes; please avoid sending eyedrops designed to remove redness as those will increase dryness and iritation caused by sand and storms in a desert climate.
Baby wipes for personal hygiene (alcohol-free)
Liquid body wash (no pump-style dispensers)
Liquid hand sanitizers (no pump-style dispensers)
Disposable hand sanitizing wipes

Please do not send pump dispenser style bottles. Portable-sized packages of non-alcholol based baby wipes are in high demand.
Toiletries are not in as high a demand as they once were; however, we do have units at forward operating bases that still need the toiletries listed below:
Toothpaste (in hard-side tubes rather than traditional tubes)
Toothbrushes
Nail clippers
Shampoo
Deodorant
Liquid bodywash soap, liquid anti-bacterial soap (liquid is easier to use than bar soap) (no pump-style dispensers)
Lotion (no pump-style dispensers)
Disposable multi-blade razors (no single blade razors please)
ShaveMan™ Battery Powered Shaver (About $5 at WalMart and other discount stores; see photo below and to the right) Razors and replacement blades
Kleenex (travel-size packets)

Please purchase small or travel-size items for personal care. We try to send a new toothbrush in every package, so the demand is very high for toothbrushes. Toothpaste tubes get messy; the plastic "bottles" of toothpaste stand up better to the conditions of combat zones. The new "Brush Ups" are very popular


WE CANNOT SEND THESE ITEMS
Kids toys or stuffed animals
Bars of soap
Large games
Aerosol cans
Clothing items of color (Black, White, and Olive Green Acceptable)
Anything Glass
Homemade food items
Pump dispenser style bottles
Large spiral notebooks