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USPS offers free shipping materials for military families
American Forces Press Service | 24 Nov | Donna Miles

WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- With so many military families scrambling to ship holiday care packages to their loved ones deployed around the world, U.S. Postal Service officials are stepping in to make things a bit easier.

They are offering free packing materials. A special kit includes 10 boxes; 10 customs forms with envelopes; 10 "Mili-Pac" shipping envelopes, which are specially printed for military mailing addresses; and a roll of Priority Mail tape.

Postal Service spokeswoman Sue Brennan said they started the service Oct. 25 as an extension of an offer it provides to all mailers. By calling a toll-free number, anyone can request free shipping materials.

Ms. Brennan said postal officials were getting deluged with requests from military families -- about 1,000 calls a day since late September. In response, they developed the special kit containing the most popular items ordered to send packages to the troops, she said.

To order the special kit, call (800) 610-8734 and request Care Kit 4. Ms. Brennan said officials will ship it by Priority Mail; delivery is usually within a couple of days.

Although the packing materials are free, shippers must still pay normal postage costs, Ms. Brennan said.

USPS and Military Postal Service officials work hand in hand to support troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Ms. Brennan said mail centers in New York, San Francisco and Miami have processed more than 100 million pounds of mail for deployed troops since early 2003. At its high point, mail volume to the Persian Gulf region reached 400,000 pounds a day, she said.

Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, more than 650 dedicated contract flights have carried mail to the region. A daily 747-series freighter carries military mail to Southwest Asia, Ms. Brennan said.

The number of contract flights carrying mail to the region more than doubled in mid-November, she said, and they are expected to remain at that level through late December.

 

[JRB]

That's cool, but it still costs like $80 to ship a bunch of stuff like peeps send. Oh well, that's better than the fact that the govt gets the guys stateside and they have to buy their own ticket home. Sounds like they pay for their meals while they are in the hospital. Mad props for the postal bunch helping though.

Hope I didn't dump this to politics.

 

[Honeywell]

Is it a nice gesture? Yes. But all the Priority shipping materials are free from the USPS, to anyone.

http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/postal_store_non_ssl/home.jsp?appName=SSOL

There's the store, order boxes, tape, labels and everything, all for free.

 

[Honeywell]

That's cool, but it still costs like $80 to ship a bunch of stuff like peeps send.

Shipping to an APO is the same as rate as domestic postage.