Over 800 holiday care packages mailed to US military members stationed overseas returned to nonprofit for ‘ridiculous’ reason
US Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who represents Connecticut, called on USPS “to find and deliver” all the remaining packages. AP
Hundreds of holiday care packages meant for U.S. service members stationed overseas will never reach their destinations this Christmas after the United States Postal Service rejected and returned them over what a nonprofit calls a “ridiculous” technicality.
Three weeks ago, Connecticut-based nonprofit Boxes to Boots shipped 1,139 care packages to deployed military members around the world. Instead of being delivered, 884 of those boxes were flagged by U.S. Customs and sent back by USPS. According to organizers, additional packages were lost in transit. Only 255 boxes were allowed to continue overseas, leaving volunteers baffled as to why most were rejected while others passed inspection.
Boxes to Boots runs an annual holiday drive, collecting snacks, candy, toiletries, and other essentials for troops who cannot be home with their families. The organization also raises funds—about $75,000 each year—to cover the steep costs of shipping and operations. This year alone, shipping totaled roughly $10,000.
USPS later told NBC Connecticut the packages were returned due to “incomplete forms.” Many of the rejected boxes had the word “toiletries” circled on their customs labels. Postal officials said that description was too vague under updated international shipping rules.
USPS now requires more detailed item descriptions on all international packages and mandates a specific tariff code for shipments sent overseas, a change that took effect September 1. Boxes to Boots organizers say every package included the proper six-digit tariff code and was clearly marked as headed to U.S. military personnel.
“They’re clearly marked for our U.S. military,” said Boxes to Boots President Kristen Gauvin. “Someone could have stopped, called a supervisor, contacted us, and fixed this on the spot. Instead, hundreds of boxes were just pulled aside and sent back.”
Because of the delay, Gauvin says there is no longer any chance the remaining packages will reach troops in time for the holidays. She says the loss is especially painful because many service members depend on these deliveries for morale during long deployments.
“I heard from a service member weeks ago who said he was struggling during his first deployment,” Gauvin said. “His box is sitting on the floor in our office, and I can’t get it to him. I’m losing sleep over this. We need answers, and we need solutions. This is ridiculous.”
The nonprofit reached out to Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal for help. On Saturday, Blumenthal said he is demanding action from USPS to locate and deliver the missing packages.
“USPS chaos and confusion—caused by contradictory interpretations of tariff codes and technical rules—have stopped and misplaced these packages,” Blumenthal wrote.
Boxes to Boots was founded in 2015 by Karen Cote, a military mother who initially began sending care packages to her son and his unit in Kuwait. What started as a personal project has since grown into an international effort supporting deployed service members in 13 countries.
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