Organizations that support deployed military personnel
Links for additional support organizations (airport greeters & welcome home signs, Bibles, devotionals & Bible studies, cards & letters, care packages, chaplain resources, coloring pages, humanitarian aid, military working dog & handlers, pet adoption & foster care and prayer support) are all listed above.
Scroll down to learn more about the following opportunities:
Books, games, gaming
Cigars
Coffee and snacks
Phone communication, phone cards
Pillows
Soldier care items
Additional support
Books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, games, gaming
Books - Books for Troops (Books a Million)
This unique program lets you select and purchase books for members of the U.S. Armed Forces serving overseas. You simply buy the books of your choice from the Books for Troops page. Booksamillion.com will address and send your books to the soldiers - and you pay no shipping charges on the books you buy for the troops!
We work in conjunction with U.S. military bases and National Guard offices to send the books to unit commanders overseas. The commanders then distribute the books to the individuals in their units. Please note that for security reasons we are not allowed to publish the addresses of the units that receive the books.
If you have a family member serving overseas, you may send details including the unit number to [email protected]. We will attempt to add the unit to the list of recipients.
Books - Operation Paperback
Operation Paperback is a national, non-profit organization, whose volunteers collect gently-used books and send them to American troops overseas, as well as veterans and military families here at home.
In addition to overseas locations, Operation Paperback provides books to wounded warrior programs and veterans hospitals located within the United States, as well as USO centers at US Airport transit points. In 2012, we also added a new program that offers a free shipment of books to any military family.
- Providing books from military Professional Reading Lists to support servicemember professional development goals.
- Supporting chaplains as they counsel troops, both before redeployment and after reunification, with a variety of specifically-requested titles.
- Supplying books for the annual book give away at NSA Souda Bay in Crete, Greece for service members and their families.
- Supplying children's books to deployed soldiers who read to their children via webcam or on DVDs.
Games, gaming - Mobile Entertainment Gaming System (MEGS) program provided by USO
Through USO Gaming, service members can forge bonds with fellow service members, stay connected to loved ones back home and take time to recharge through the simple act of playing a video game. Research shows that gaming can help service members in everything from improving teamwork to battling mental illness, making this program crucial to the wellness and morale of our nation’s military.
USO Gaming Centers are outfitted with top-of-the-line screens and consoles, designed specifically so that groups of service members can play games – and bond – together. Meanwhile, USO Gaming Tournaments allow service members to build relationships with other gamers, keep in touch with friends and family, or even just remain connected to life beyond the military, all of which helps ease the isolation that many service members face on deployment or at remote duty stations.
For many of our service members, the escapism of video games can allow them to forget – just for a moment – the stress and responsibility of their daily missions. In the midst of life on the front lines, your support of USO Gaming helps provide our military with a moment of normalcy and a brief respite from the pressure of their service to this nation.
Cigars
Cigars for Warriors
We are honored to have the privilege of sending in excess of 1.1 million donated cigars directly to our troops wherever they are serving in the world.
Coffee and snacks
Cakes, cookies, snacks - Edible Spirits Freedom Cake (Edible Spirits and TroopCarePack.com)
Show you support freedom by sending a cake to a member of the US Armed Forces stationed anywhere in the world. Edible Spirits has been sending cakes to the military overseas for over 6 years and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. We value our freedom, and we are thankful to those who agree.
Cakes, cookies, snacks - Soldiers' Angels and Bake Me a Wish
Operation: Birthday Cake -- If you have a deployed military service member to whom you'd like to send a gift cake, please make a selection to start your order. Bake Me A Wish!'s Operation: Birthday Cake program is made possible with our partner Soldiers' Angels
Cakes, cookies, snacks - Operation We Care & King Cakes
Cakes, cookies, snacks - Soldiers' Angels
The Angel Bakers are a group of highly dedicated Soldiers’ Angels who bake homemade treats for our deployed military heroes.
Each month the Angel Bakers send specially made cookies, brownies, and other treats to units identified by Soldiers’ Angels as needing extra Angel love. Our aim is to show our heroes how much people back home appreciate and care about them.
Cakes, cookies, snacks - Treat the Troops
The purpose of Treat The Troops is to let deployed American military persons, on the front, living in tents or temporary quarters, know that people at home are remembering them. Home-baked cookies and other "comfort Items," along with a note of thanks, are sent. Site includes tips for baking and shipping your own cookies for the Troops.
Coffee - Alpha Coffee (Coffee for Troops)
We've made it a core part of our mission to give back to our military community and send even more amazing tasting coffee to deployed service members. Nothing like an awesome cup of coffee to make it a better day (or night) downrange.
Coffee - Boca Java (Coffee for the Troops)
Since 2005, Boca Java and our loyal customers have donated over 8.1 MILLION cups of gourmet coffee to our U.S. Troops serving honorably all around the world.
Boca Java has formally partnered with the USO to bring coffee to our Troops. Boca Java will match each bag donated by our customers.
Coffee - Green Beans Coffee Co (Cup O' Joe for a Joe)
In our travels to see the Troops, many share with us their sense of loneliness, isolation and feelings of being forgotten. Their commanders tell us that some Soldiers never receive mail from home. In response, Green Beans Coffee has launched Cup of Joe For A Joe to let anyone, anywhere in the world, say thanks to our troops through the simple act of buying a cup of coffee and having it delivered along with their own personal note of encouragement into the hands of a deployed Soldier.
Coffee - Holy Joe's Cafe
Holy Joe's Cafe is an all-volunteer non-profit that sends coffee to U.S. troops around the world via a network of cafes run by military chaplains. All are welcome to join us in this nationwide volunteer effort!
Holy Joe's Cafe is a Coffee House Ministry – United Church of Christ military chaplains have found an old way to invite U.S. soldiers into a safe and informal place where they can receive spiritual care and good coffee. Congregations and individuals can support the Coffee House Ministry and simultaneously participate in the UCC Coffee Project by sending Equal Exchange Coffee to the military chaplains in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait.
Coffee - William III (Coffee for the Troops Program)
At WILLIAM III, a portion of every sale goes to support our Coffee For The Troops Program. WILLIAM III has been sending coffee care packages to the troops deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and to the personnel aboard the USNS Comfort and other detachments in harm's way for over 9 years. We have sent approximately 18150 care packages to date consisting of whole bean, ground, regular roast and various flavors.
Phone communication, phone cards
Cell Phones for Soldiers
Cell Phones for Soldiers is a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing cost-free communication services and emergency funding to active-duty military members and veterans. Since 2004, the charity has provided more than 400 million minutes of airtime to servicemen and women deployed around the world, by recycling more than 25 million cell phones reducing the impact on landfills.
Pillows
Operation Pocket Field Pillow
A group of volunteers in my community began Operation Pocket Field Pillow in February 2009, when my son deployed to Afghanistan. To date, we've made and shipped over 10,000 ACU pocket field pillows to our combat troops and over 2,000 fleece travel pillows to our wounded. Our aim is simple; to keep working to let our troops know that we will not forget them. Our pillows are small enough to store in a ruck or pocket and are meant to be taken out in the field on missions.
All the ACU and fleece we use is donated, and the few donations we receive help pay to ship boxes of our field pillows to Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany. Visit our blog to learn how you can make an ACU pocket field pillow.
Soldier care items
Equipment - Support a Soldier
The mission of Support a Soldier is to provide U.S. military men and woman with non-lethal ancillary equipment and other necessities, thereby improving their safety, readiness, comfort and/or efficiency in areas of combat operations.
Eyewear, anti-ballistic - Armor 4 Troops Foundation
The primary mission of the Armor 4 Troops Foundation is to provide new and replacement "state-of-the-art" anti-ballistic eyewear, Under-Armour, personal gear, and other critical equipment and services directly to United States troops in the field that are currently engaged in war zones or other peacekeeping and humanitarian missions throughout the world where combat violence is a threat.
Snipers - AmericanSnipers.org
Adopt A Sniper is comprised of a confederation of military and law enforcement snipers from across the country who provide their brothers-in-arms with materials that make their lives...and their jobs...easier. Items range personal hygiene gear to tactical products such as holsters, high-speed rucksacks, new optics, and rifle accessories.
Additional support
Bulk supplies on demand - Troops Direct
TroopsDirect supports our front line troops exclusively at larger unit levels with the objective of making them the healthiest, most energized and highest spirited Marines, soldiers, aircrew and sailors that we can. We function as a non-profit ‘back line’ of supply for units based in Afghanistan, Africa, at sea and other in other ‘hot spots’. We communicate with the front lines daily and provide -in bulk- detailed hygiene, nutrition, gear and K9 support.
Contrary to most groups providing smaller and seasonal care packages for individual soldiers, TroopsDirect ships in bulk every week in battle proven cartons manufactured to our exacting specifications. Furthermore, TroopsDirect support is the most timely, accurate and adaptable amongst known support organizations.
Comedians, comedy clubs, entertainment - Armed Forces Entertainment
As the official Department of Defense agency for providing entertainment to U.S. military personnel overseas, Armed Forces Entertainment and its performers have the honor of supporting soldiers, airmen, marines and sailors by bringing them the very best in American entertainment.
Entertainment has long been one of the biggest morale boosters for U.S. military personnel serving overseas. Today, Armed Forces Entertainment hosts more than 1,200 shows around the world each year, reaching more than 500,000 personnel at 270 military installations. From muddy make-shift stages to show-stopping extravaganzas, the performances bring a piece of home to those stationed far away from home.
Gift certificate donations - AAFES
https://shop.aafes.com or call (877) 770-4438
Purchase an AAFES Gift Card(s)/ Exchange Catalog Gift Certificate(s) to include in your care package or letter to a military family member, friend or loved one to be used at a local post exchange around the world. Please remember to send to only recipients that have Exchange privileges.
Sports equipment - Golf (Bunkers in Baghdad)
We are a not-for-profit charity that collects and sends new and used golf balls, clubs and equipment to our troops currently serving in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bunkers also supplies golf equipment to Wounded Warriors Programs around the country to aid in the rehabilitation of our injured veterans.
USO2GO kits - USO
USO2GO delivers the USO’s most popular services to troops in remote and restricted areas. Everything from beanbag chairs, snacks, coffee, and toiletries to phone cards, DVDs, XBox®360, PlayStation® 3, and Wii. Also available are laptops, musical instruments, art supplies, footballs, Frisbees, and horseshoes.
Developed with feedback from deployed troops, USO2GO kits change as their needs change. Units can select eight variations that can be customized to fit the needs of individual units stationed on Forward Operating Bases (FOBs).
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