How much does it cost to send a care package?

It costs approximately $30 per care package.

How many care packages do you send a month?

It varies every month, depending on how many people are registered at the time. Some months we may have 100 individuals and 10 registered “squads”, which may consist of 10-500 individuals.

How long do you send the care packages?

Generally, recipients are on our list for a minimum of 6 months. We ship to the registered recipients every month, for as long as they are deployed, providing we have the funds available for shipping.

What do you put in a care package?

The staple items include our newsletter, Girl Scout cookies, letters of encouragement and comic books. This is in addition to the toiletries, snack food, baby wipes, batteries, drink mixes, and other items. If someone has a specific request, we always try to comply. For a more detailed list, please go to our Package Item List on the website. Also, every care package includes a Troop It Forward Box.

What is a Troop It Forward Box?

A Troop It Forward (TIF) box is a 30-day supply of toiletries, along with information on how an individual can register to be a recipient. When the actual recipient receives the care package and sees that someone at mail call does not receive anything, they can in turn give them the TIF box. To date, over a third of our recipients are the result of the TIF program.

Where do the care package items come from?

All care package items are donated. Not only do we receive donations locally, but donations are shipped to us from all over the United States.

Do you send to the Coast Guard?

Yes, we send to all branches of the military and to all world theaters. The only qualification is that they are on a deployment outside of the United States.

How do I register someone?

Just go to our Register a Soldier link on our website and complete the requested information.
Does Forgotten Soldiers Outreach help the soldiers when they come home?
Although we do not have a program set up to assist them, we are plugged in with many other organizations in our local area and can recommend different services.

How do we know that you are legitimate?

Forgotten Soldiers Outreach is very transparent and our financials are on our website. In addition, we always try to encourage people to tour our operation center and volunteer.

How long has Forgotten Soldiers Outreach been in existence?

We started in October of 2003, but became an official non-profit in January 2004.

Are there other chapters?

No, although we do receive support from all over the country.

Does Forgotten Soldiers Outreach work with the schools?

Absolutely, schools are critical to our organization. All our care packages include letters of encouragement, in which the majority come from schools from all over the country. We have a terrific For Educators section on our website. Teachers love to implement it into their curriculum as it provides them with the opportunity to teach geography, history, letter writing skills, English and grammar, as well as giving back to the community

Do you ever get to meet your recipients?

Often, we have the pleasure of meeting our local recipients. However, we have had recipients from other parts of the country come down to South Florida to say thank you to our volunteers in person.