How can you help our nonprofit send care packages to some of the most remote of the roughly 150,000 U.S. military troops serving overseas in 2024?

1) Donate Financially - Our greatest need is cash for our mailing costs. With no paid staff, we strive to maximize the use of donations. We are a 501(c)(3) charity, so your gifts are tax deductible. We accept checks to Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas, P.O. Box 116691, Carrollton, TX 75011. You can donate via credit card through our Click and Pledge account. Or you can Venmo us at NancyCarter@AirborneAngels.

2) Donate Goods - Our all-volunteer charity is based in the Dallas area, but receives product donations from across the USA for care packages for our Soldiers and Troops overseas. We kindly request that you contact us at support@airborneangelcadets.com before sending any care package goods.

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7/22/2016

Soldier in Iraq gives care package tips - What to send, and what not to send

Below are some insightful comments from an American Soldier in Iraq who has received some recent care packages from the Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas.  He sent this info out to some of his supporters back home, and it has many good comments on what to send, and not to send, to our military troops overseas.

If you are able to donate such products (foiled tuna fish, creamer, laundry Pods, beef jerky, slim jims, dried fruits and nuts, etc.), or can help us with postage funds, we welcome your support.

Please Do not send Troops in Iraq a lot of melty things like chocolate from 1 April to 1 October.  We currently have 2 solid 3 pound blocks of gummy bears in the refridgerator.   

Try to send easy open cans or pouches of things, yes some of us like the tuna fish you send!  I always bring a can opener or two and they always disappear on me to parts unknown.  Nobody needs a can of green beans unless they special request it!

Liquid creamers are AWESOME, but they make a terrible mess if they are busted.  You know the kind that are in a little plastic cup with a foil top… most of them die if not packed in a more sturdy outer (plastic, metal) container.  Old cookie and fruit cake tins rock for items like this and PODS.

Laundry PODS are awesome since I have to do my own laundry here (not every base does so ask before you send) they too burst and cause a mess, see above for solution.  We had some travel just fine in little plastic tubs and they didn’t melt!


Beef Jerky rules!  Slim Jims are ok too, but not if you are on a diet.

Dried fruits and tree nuts are awesome!  Peanuts grow in the ground and are actually very abundant in these parts, in their mashed buttery form.  Think almonds, cashews, cranberries, cherries, and blueberries.  Banana chips are not ‘dried fruit’, they are potato chips made with bananas.


Books, sadly who reads anymore.  Bored troops still do, but not in great numbers.  Popular series and authors are best, romance novels are not that great unless someone asks for them. 

Toothpaste and dental floss are the longest lasting of the hygeine items, and though we need some for every Troop, a large tube lasts a few months, smart bet is limit what you send of those items.

Mint, butterscotch, and cinnamon disks are the last things to be eaten from a box of candy

DVDs, are going the way of that cursive hand writing.  I have a laptop… that has no disk drive.  We have no TVs or DVD players in our rooms or offices (not always the case for everyone deployed).  USB devises are cool to send movies and current shows on in digital form!  Just please keep them virus free.