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Do you ever think about how often nursing home residents receive care from other people? Yet they rarely get opportunities to give back.
For this reason, we look for activities that include a “giving” component. One option is to send expired coupons to troops serving overseas.
You might not know that overseas commissaries accept manufacturer coupons that expired up to 6 months ago. (Note that this only applies to overseas sites, not commissaries within the United States.)
Overseas military bases don’t have easy access to coupons like we do here in the states. That’s unfortunate because coupons offer substantial money savings for individuals and military families.
Here’s How To Collect Coupons For The Military:
- Ask people for donations of coupons from newspapers, magazines, and store flyers. They must be manufacturer coupons, not coupons for restaurants or specific stores (Target, etc.).
- Although military bases accept coupons up to 6 months after they expire, we find it best to send those that expired no more than 2-3 months ago. This allows time for mailing and distribution at the military base.
- Coupons generally need to be sorted into two categories: food & nonfood. (The “food” category means items consumed by humans for calories. Products such as dog food or multivitamins go in the “nonfood” category.)
- You must clip the coupons; please don’t send complete coupon flyers. Also, avoid sending coupons printed online.
- You must pay for postage to mail the coupons. However, the rate to military bases is the same as sending a package to a mainland address. We find it best to use Priority Mail flat rate boxes.
- If you’re sending the coupons directly to a military base, the post office will ask you to fill out a simple customs form.
This is a terrific activity to do with community groups such as college students or churches looking for service projects. It allows them to assist the nursing home residents and the military all at the same time!
Include encouraging notes in your packages. If you add a self-addressed postcard, you might receive a thank you note in return. We’ve also asked children from our on-site children’s center to create drawings to put in the boxes.
Would you like to send coupons directly to a military base regularly? Then you’ll want to check out a great resource called CoupsForTroops. They help organizations adopt a military family that uses coupons.
In addition, sites here in the states such as Troupons collect coupons from a variety of groups. Then they send bundles of coupons to many military bases around the world. You can also contact your local VFW or American Legion Auxiliary for more information.
Have you ever participated in this program, either by sending or receiving coupons? Please share your experiences in the comment section!
Check out this article to discover 70 more opportunities for residents to serve others.
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