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Care Package IdeasApr 27 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line A thoughtful carepackage can help keep the lonelies at bay. The first question I have to ask is if someone is going to be in your student's neighborhood and bringing something by or are you sending by mail? Weight maybe an issue if you're mailing and not as much if you're just sticking a shoe box in a friend's trunk. If weight is no issue, start the care package with a roll of quarters. Every laundry machine, copy machine, pinball machine, tampon machine, etc. on campus takes these. No student ever has enough money (in general) or quarters (specifically). Send homemade things when you can. Chocolate chip cookies, zuchinni bread, etc. If your student has cooking facilities, make up "dry mixes" of some of your recipes and put them into individual ziploc bags along with instructions on how to transform these into curried chicken, beef stew, or mom's famous oatmeal-raisin pancakes. Don't forget to send newspaper clippings that are of interest. Speaking of newspaper clippings, does your student get a newspaper besides the school paper? Is there a section they always read at home? Clip out and include a few weeks worth of their favorite comic strip, the crossword puzzle, Dear Abby... whatever makes them happy. Send notes. Email is great, but there is still something special about handwritten notes. I remember getting a carepackage full of cookies once that had a note on the bottom that said, "Boy, didn't take you long to finish those!" Phone cards are a great inclusion. Attach a note that says, "call me to let me know you got this." Gift certificates to Target, Walmart or other national chain stores can be great for students living at a distance. Also, check with your church or synagogue to see if they sell "scrip" for grocery stores. The scrip is usable at all stores that are part of the chain. Seasonal treats: It wasn't the Jewish holiday of Purim without my mother's hamentaschen, but I couldn't get home for the holiday, so she sent them. Is there something that makes the holiday? Check with your student. Don't forget that even holidays that were unimportant at home can suddenly seem very important. It's nice to get a valentine card from mommy and daddy. (And please, make daddy sign it himself. Don't just have one parent signing for both!) Also, whoever packs the carepackages, make sure that everyone in the house has a chance to add a note or a little something from him/herself. Pack carepackages in old shoe boxes, or better yet in tupperware, sweaterboxes or something the student can use. You might want to fill extra space with small things like Wet and Wild make-up (fun colors at $1 a piece), extra computer discs, a CD or tape of music you think they'll enjoy, Hershey's ksses and hugs (when you can't give them yourself.) Do keep in mind that if your student is dieting, don't undermine them by sending cookies, but do send something. It's really not so much what things you put in so much as that the student knows that they are loved.  |
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