Shoeboxes for Soldiers
Earn this patch by collecting items for soldiers, making cards for them, and making a shoebox during the holidays or any time of the year. Place the year bar underneath each year!
Purchase or collect items for the soldiers. Drop them off at your local collection area. This could be near a base, a church, or volunteer group. You can also include a handwritten note or card.
You can also send them to:
Operation Shoebox
8360 E. Highway 25
Belleview FL 34420
Items to place in your shoebox:
Some of these items can be found at the local $dollar stores. All items MUST be NEW, not used.
CHOOSE AT LEAST FOUR FOOD OR CANDY ITEMS
• Gum and mints
• Candy (No chocolate May-September)
• Protein Bars, power bars, nutritional bars
• Fruit: single serving size cans
• Nuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts, trail mix, dried fruit
• Beef jerky, beef summer sausage (non-perishable; labeled USDA Beef)
• Single-serving bags of snacks, crackers
• Pop Tarts, cereal bars, granola bars
• Ramen Noodles, cup-O-Noodles serving cups, Easy Mac®
• Ravioli and other canned ready-to-eat meals (single serving) with pop-top
• Popcorn (single serving)
• Hard Candy (single wrapped)
CHOOSE ONE BEVERAGE ITEM
• Instant Coffee packets
• Instant Cappuccino packets
• Hot cocoa mix packets
• Lemonade mix, Kool-Aid® mix, Raspberry Iced Tea mix
• Gatorade® mix (powdered only)
CHOOSE ONE COMMUNCATION OR RECREATIONAL ITEM
• New decks of cards
• Paperback book or newspaper
• Stamps
• Envelopes
• Small pads of paper
• Pens
• Small, blank journals
CHOOSE FOUR PERSONAL CARE ITEMS [Travel-size toiletries/hygiene products]
• Lip balm (Chapstick in a tube) is in high demand in desert areas.
• Throat Lozenges & Vitamin C Lozenges
• Travel size packages of Q-tips
• Body wipes for personal hygiene (alcohol-free)
• Liquid hand sanitizers (no pump-style dispensers)
• Toothpaste (in hard-side tubes rather than traditional tubes)
• Toothbrushes
• Nail clippers
• Shampoo
• Deodorant
• Liquid body wash soap (no bar soap or pump-style dispensers)
• Lotion, unscented, for dry skin (no pump-style dispensers)
• Disposable multi-blade razors (no single blade razors please)
• ShaveMan™ Battery Powered Shaver
• Razors and replacement blades
