Nearly 80 years after World War II, the CARE Package has evolved and today powers change in new, lasting ways.
CARE was founded in 1945, when 22 American organizations came together to rush lifesaving CARE Packages to World War II survivors. Thousands of Americans, including President Harry S. Truman, contributed to the effort. On May 11, 1946, the first 15,000 packages reached the battered port of Le Havre, France.
CARE Packages today take many forms, from emergency kits to water pumps to schools, all thanks to our donors and partners.
These early packages 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 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 packages, 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 CARE Packages to “a hungry occupant of a thatched cottage,” “a school teacher in Germany,” and so on.
Later, longer-term development packages included carpentry tools, blankets, clothes, books, school supplies and medicine – and CARE expanded delivery to other regions including Asia and Latin America.
Every CARE Package is a personal contribution to the world peace our nation seeks. It expresses America's concern and friendship in a language all peoples understand.