Operation Military Shoebox
When war began in Iraq, members of Western Branch Baptist Church answered God’s call and started collecting toiletries and snack items and began mailing them to troops serving overseas, all in an effort to share the love of Christ. This ministry has grown tremendously since it first started.
Items such as baby wipes, deodorant, cookies, candy, snack foods and Kleenex are packed into shoeboxes along with stationary, a New Testament and a letter from the church. Over the course of a year, many names and addresses of service men and women have been given to the church, so that we may minister to them. We try to mail packages every six weeks depending on what supplies we have.
Items currently needed:
|
Canned Fruit (with pop top lids)
|
Ziploc Bags – all sizes
|
|
Ritz type Crackers
|
Toothpaste & toothbrush (ask for donations at your dentist) |
|
Individual ready-made pudding cups
|
Baby Wipes (small packets)
|
|
Gum (candy coated, no stick)
|
Disposable razors
|
|
Pringles Potato Chips
|
Chapstick
|
|
Tea Bags
|
Deodorant (stick)
|
|
Sugar packets
|
Foot powder (not aerosol)
|
|
Gatorade (powder)
|
AA Batteries
|
|
Peanut butter in tubes
|
Reading Lights
|
|
Instant Coffee or Coffee Bags
|
Disposable Cameras
|
|
Pretzels (Individual packets)
|
Throat lozenges
|
|
Raisins (Individual packets)
|
Combs
|
|
Trail mix – individual packets
|
Tylenol (small bottles)
|
|
Hot Chocolate – individual packets
|
Eye Drops (ask for donations from your eye doctor)
|
|
Granola Bars
|
Small bottles of lotion and shampoo
|
|
Hard Candy (nothing that will melt)
|
Clear mailing tape
|
|
Twizzlers Candy
|
Writing paper and envelopes
|
|
Beef Jerky
|
Pens (ballpoint)
|
|
Oatmeal – instant, individual packets
|
|
Most of these items can be found at the Dollar Store. The cost of mailing one box is between $8.00 - $9.00.
Donations to help pay for postage are gratefully accepted.
