The Cause
What We Do
Volunteers, board members, and directors (well, technically we're all volunteers) average more than 100 hours every week keeping the organization alive and well. Some of the more obvious things that those hours account for are packing and shipping care packages, managing finances, corresponding with the troops the organization supports, maintaining the website, writing thank you letters to supporters, seeking volunteers, grants, and donations, planning special events, and record keeping of everything the organization is, has, or will be doing. A few of the not-so-obvious things that must be done include writing press releases, organizing items for care packages, picking up donated supplies, rotating stock of donated supplies in storage, scheduling volunteers, board members, and directors for event management, and design and printing of fliers and information packets. That's just some stuff though.
Our objective is to support the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who are currently deployed through care packages as best we can. Sometimes we ship 500 care packages in one month and other times we ship less than 100 due to service members returning home or lack of funding. We accept addresses through our website and also through correspondence with friends and family. We ship care packages to service members as often as possible (maximum one care package per month) from the day we receive their name until they safely return home.
Almost all of the board members for the organization are or were service members or spouses of a service member. Our Vice President, Skip Spoerke, was in Iraq when the organization was formed by his sister who is a military spouse. It's not coincidence that the acronym SKIP is his first name. Skip, the organization's Vice President, is the only board member who has been deployed for either of the major conflicts our country is currently involved with (Iraq or Afghanistan). However, other board members served during the Vietnam War through Desert Storm, and one is in the Air National Guard.
In the care packages shipped by SKIP we always include the basics (shampoo, toothpaste, soap, etc) and try to include fun stuff such as books, water pistols, and DVDs.
Although nobody is required to make a financial donation for a service member to receive care packages they are always appreciated. If we don't have the money to ship the care packages, we can't ship them. It's that simple. So, if you would like to make a financial donation please Click Here.
Packing the Care Packages
Every other month or so we host care package packing nights or days. New faces are always welcome and we can definitely use the help. During the packing night we try to pack a minimum of 250 care packages. Sometimes we pack 500. But, it goes by quickly and everyone has fun doing it.
As it stands right now our speed record is just about 250 care packages packed, sealed, and loaded in the truck in 37 minutes. Of course, it took at least another hour for unpacking all of the supplies from storage containers so we could pack them in the care packages, but we're pretty proud of that 37 minute packing.
We have two locations, one in California and one in Massachusetts, but we don't have public offices. We run almost everything from our homes, and yes that includes taking in large quantities of supply donations on a consistent basis. Our homes have literally become storage facilities, offices, board rooms, and occasionally workshops for Special Kindness In Packages. The Massachusetts group handles a large majority of the packing and shipping of the care packages and hosting events more specific to that aspect of the organization, and the California group works primarily on raising funds and awareness so we can continue the mission.
Would you like to help pack care packages or help at an event? Please Click Here and let us know.
Special Events
Special Events are fun to be a part of! In the past we've designed floats for parades, handed out information at Red Sox games, held yard sales, had booths at fairs, and helped clean-up community veteran parks. The opportunities are numerous and volunteers are always needed!
Not only are we looking for volunteers to help the day of, but also those experienced or creative souls who have wonderful fundraising ideas that they'd like to share with us. Sometimes the best ideas come from someone else, and we want your ideas please.
Click Here to propose a new idea.
Legally Speaking
Special Kindness in Packages, Inc. ("SKIP") was established as a Massachusetts non-profit corporation August 25, 2006 in order to provide care packages and correspondences to individuals serving in the United States Armed Forces (including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, National Guard, Air National Guard, Army National Guard, and Merchant Marines). SKIP's officers, directors, and volunteers provide care packages and write letters and cards to show their support and appreciation of U.S. military personnel.
This organization's acronym is a tribute to Sergeant Frank "Skip" Spoerke II who served overseas in Iraq with the Army Reserves from 2004 until 2006.
SKIP anticipates that the items it distributes to military personnel will be donated to the organization directly by members of the general public or purchased with money contributed by members of the general public. The organization also anticipates receiving donations from businesses and establishments.
SKIP intends to distribute care packages enclosing the items described below to military personnel on a monthly basis. SKIP's officers, directors, and volunteers (such as friends and relatives of SKIP’s governing body; Girl Scout troops from Brockton, Massachusetts; local Massachusetts school staff, students, and their families; and parishioners of First Congregational Church, Hanson, Massachusetts) will sort and assemble the care packages, complete the address labels, affix the necessary postage, and deliver the packages to a U.S. Post Office branch located in or near Brockton, Massachusetts. From there, the packages will be forwarded to ports, such as New York and California, and then distributed to the military addresses of the military men and women. If the military personnel are stationed in the United States, the items will be shipped to their domestic military base address. If they are deployed overseas, the packages will be shipped to their respective Army Post Office or Fleet Post Office address.
SKIP anticipates that it will be provided with the addresses of military personnel for its mailings primarily by relatives or friends of the military member or from other military men and women. The addresses of military personnel will only be used for SKIP’s charitable purposes and will not be shared or made public.
The organization intends to follow all of the rules and special requirements set by the military for mail (for example, pornography, alcohol, and other restricted items will not be distributed to military personnel at any time and pork products will not be sent to military personnel serving in Islamic countries).
SKIP may engage in any other activity in furtherance of its charitable purposes that is consistent with its status as a Massachusetts non-profit corporation and as an organization that is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
