Tips for sending military care packages:

* Don't send homemade food unless you know the recipient because it will be thrown out for safety reasons.
* Keep food and non-food items in separate care packages.
* Wrap your packages carefully. They're traveling a long distance in hot weather.

Military care package ideas:

* Pre-packaged, non-perishable food and powdered drink mixes
* Phone cards - Not every unit has access to phones, so only send phone cards if requested
* Toiletries - Keep both male and female soldiers in mind
* Books, magazines, DVDs, CDs and other entertainment items
* Sunscreen and sunglasses

If you're still not sure what you should send, check out these care package ideas provided by an experienced military Mom.

Finally, drop your care packages for our troops in the mail. Postage is cheaper than you might expect because you don't actually have to send your military care packages to Iraq or Afghanistan. All military mail is sent to APO and FPO addresses in the United States.

Check out the United States Postal Service's Military Mailing Instructions before you ship your military care packages.

Consider making this a family or workplace effort so that you can send even more care packages for troops.