On August 4, 2026, BR Soldier Outreach shipped 23 boxes to five units serving overseas. Those boxes held 291 individual care packages, weighed 492.6 pounds, and cost $1,289.52 to send. Then we ran out of items, and two units are still waiting on us.
What went out on August 4
Every quarter our volunteers pack and ship comfort from home to deployed service members who have requested our help. Here is what this shipment came to:
- 23 boxes shipped
- 5 units reached
- 291 individual care packages
- 492.6 pounds of supplies
- $1,289.52 in postage
Two units are still waiting
We emptied our shelves filling those boxes. Two more units, 160 soldiers in all, requested packages we could not fill.
Their situation makes it more urgent. Growing tensions in their region have limited transportation, and their own supplies are running short. They do not have reliable transportation for supply runs right now. When they wrote to us, they asked for whatever we can send and said they are grateful either way.
We would like to finish the August request before the shelves stay empty any longer.
What the soldiers asked for
The units named toiletries, cleaning supplies, snacks, energy drinks, office supplies, entertainment, and room essentials. Their specific requests:
- Beef jerky, tuna packets, ramen, and mac and cheese
- Drink mixes and hot chocolate
- Protein and granola bars, breakfast snacks, and fruit and nut bars
- Microwave popcorn, pretzels, chips, goldfish crackers, and sunflower seeds
- Cheese and peanut butter crackers, cookies, snack cakes, and pudding
- Jolly Ranchers, Sweet Tarts, candy, and boxes of raisins
- Tony’s or other seasonings and hot sauce
- Chapstick, hand lotion, foot powder, and cleaning wipes
- Small games and word search books
Where to drop off donations
Items can be left at any of our drop-off locations across Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, and Zachary:
- Holmes Building Materials, 7835 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge
- Holmes Building Materials, 1102 Florida Avenue SE, Denham Springs
- The Bookstore, 10466 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge
- Benton Brothers, 115 N Range Avenue, Denham Springs, open Tuesday through Sunday
- Texas Roadhouse, N Mall Drive, Baton Rouge
- Towers Baton Rouge Harley-Davidson, 5853 Siegen Lane, Baton Rouge
- Zachary Fire Department, 4525 Main Street, Zachary
- Zachary Farmers Market, 4412 Lee Street, Zachary
Not sure what to bring? Our care packages page walks through what goes into a box.
If you cannot make it to a drop-off
A donation covers what the shelves cannot. Postage alone came to $1,289.52 for this one shipment, and every dollar goes toward getting boxes into the hands of service members who asked for them.
Thank you
This shipment happened because of the businesses and individuals who keep showing up for it. Our sponsors and drop-off partners carry a real share of this work, and the 291 packages that went out on August 4 are theirs as much as ours.
If your business would like to join them, we would be glad to talk.
