The CARE PACKAGE®: 1946 to Today

What was in the first CARE PACKAGE boxes?

These early boxes were U.S. Army surplus “10-in-1” food rations intended to provide one meal for 10 soldiers during the planned invasion of Japan. CARE obtained them at the end of the war and began a service that let Americans send them to friends and families in Europe, where millions were in danger of starvation. Ten dollars bought a CARE PACKAGE and guaranteed that its addressee would receive it within four months.

What was in the first CARE PACKAGE?

These early boxes were U.S. Army surplus “10-in-1” food parcels intended to provide one meal for 10 soldiers during the planned invasion of Japan. CARE obtained them at the end of the war and began a service that let Americans send them to friends and families in Europe, where millions were in danger of starvation. Ten dollars bought a CARE PACKAGE box and guaranteed that its addressee would receive it within four months.

When the “10-in-1” parcels ran out, CARE began assembling its own food parcels, greatly assisted by donations from American food producers. At first, senders had to designate a specific person as the recipient, but soon CARE was flooded with donations to send parcels to “a hungry occupant of a thatched cottage,” “a school teacher in Germany,” and so on.

Later, CARE updated the CARE PACKAGE to include carpentry tools, blankets, clothes, books, school supplies and medicine – and CARE expanded delivery to other regions including Asia and Latin America.

The CARE PACKAGE of today

For 80 years, CARE has evolved the CARE PACKAGE to meet the most urgent needs of the time. As disasters have become more frequent, CARE developed the CARE PACKAGE for Emergencies: a modernized kit of up to 40 items that can sustain a family of four for a month. Packages sent to American families recovering from disasters can include a basic hygiene kit that can be supplemented with feminine hygiene products, a kit with essential items for mothers and babies, or self-care items for frontline workers and other caregivers.