WHITE PLAINS, NY — To make it easier for families to ship holiday packages to their loved ones serving far from home in the military, Westchester District postal officials recommend the free Military Care Kit.  Based on the items most frequently requested by military families, the kit contains: two Priority Mail APO/FPO/DPO flat rate boxes, two Priority Mail Medium flat rate boxes, Priority Mail tape, Priority Mail address labels, and the appropriate customs forms.  To order the Postal Service’s free Military Care Kit, call toll-free 800-610-8734.

“In addition to using the right packaging materials, it is important to double-check and ensure you’re using an accurate military address,” recommends Westchester District Consumer & Industry Contact Manager Leslie Johnson.  “When addressing the package, write out the service member’s full name in the address. Include the unit and APO/FPO/DPO address with the ZIP Code,” emphasizes Ms. Johnson. 

As illustration, the Westchester Consumer & Industry Contact Manager gives the following examples:

Army/Air Post Office (APO)
PFC JOHN DOE
PSC 3 BOX 4120
APO AE 09021

Fleet Post Office (FPO)
SEAMAN JOSEPH SMITH
UNIT 100100 BOX 4120
FPO AP 96691

Diplomatic Post Office (DPO)
JOHN ADAMS
UNIT 8400 BOX 0000
DPO AE 09498-0048  

To learn more about free shipping supplies, postage discounts, holiday mail-by dates, and other useful information about mailing items to U.S. troops, log onto usps.com/ship/apo-fpo-dpo.htm.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

Follow us on twitter.com/USPS and like us at facebook.com/USPS. For more information about the Postal Service, go to usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.