Are you ready to party…a care package party that is! We hosted a party to make care packages to send to our college students for final exams. Anytime is a good time for a party like this – Halloween, Valentines, midterms – every one loves mail from home. And it’s so fun to have the variety to put in the boxes because everyone brings something different. Pro tip: Host a care package party in early October (for Halloween treats), it’s a great way to reconnect with other moms who’s kids have recently flown the nest.
Start with the Invitations
We chose Paperless Post for our email invites. They have so many cute designs and can easily be customized. We kept the total guest count (including ourselves) to 12, and we made 16 boxes. That number worked well.
Don’t forget to have your guests RSVP with what they plan to bring (to avoid duplicates) and how many boxes they’re making (so you get a final count for everyone). Send out the final count of boxes about a week before the party so everyone can shop for their items. Paperless Post made communicating with the group very easy.
What We Served for a Care Package Party
We kept it light and served a couple of appetizers and desserts, yummy lemonade, sparkling water and (of course!) plenty of wine. Super easy and delicious!
Links : Silver tiered dessert stand (similar) // Clear acrylic stand and cones that Megan filled with veggies. (So cute!) // Silver punch bowl to hold bottled drinks (similar)
What Guests Brought
We had so many wonderful treats for the care packages. Every guest brought multiple items so our boxes were very full! Items included everything from drink mixes and candy to bagged snacks and school supplies. Check out all this cuteness…
sticky notes // candy assortment // Starbucks cups // Drink Mix, similar or this!
Filling the Boxes
All the goodies were setup around the table so guests could walk around and fill their boxes. At the end, we had leftovers and just divided them between everyone. (Did we already mention how full our boxes were thanks to everyone’s generosity?)
After the boxes were full, we all walked around again and signed a card to put in each student’s box.
The Finished Care Package
Wow! We’re so excited to send these to our college students and help fuel them up for final exams!
Thank you to our friends for making care packages with us!
What You’ll Need for a Care Package Party:
- Invitations – send them 3-4 weeks in advance; ask guests to RSVP with the number of boxes and how many boxes they’re making; RSVP deadline about a week before the event so you can give everyone a final count of number of items to bring
- Boxes – we used the flat rate shipping boxes from the post office – did you know these are free? Pick them up in the lobby of any US Post Office (no standing in line!).
- Food – keep it simple with a couple of appetizers and desserts – store bought is perfectly acceptable!
- Drinks – sparkling water, lemonade, wine
- Tissue paper or crinkle filling for the boxes
- Stickers to decorate the inside flaps of the boxes
- Plates/napkins/forks
- A card (something printed on card stock works) – have all the moms sign it with some colorful gel pens. If the hostess has a photo printer, it would be cute to print a group photo to put in the boxes too!
Pro tip: Everyone takes their box home and mails it at their convenience.
Ideas for Your Care Package
When you send out your invite for the care package party, here are some ideas you can give your guests for what to bring:
- Candy: Smarties and Nerds are fun, mints, gum
- Snacks: Smartfood popcorn (of course!), nuts, trail mix, snack mix, microwave popcorn, Rice Krispie treats
- Microwave food for a late night snack, like Cup of Noodles and Mac and Cheese
- Coffee pods; instant coffee packets; tea; individual drink mix packets; Emergen-C drink packets
- Gift cards to grab a quick dinner, snack or coffee when they’re out studying
- Stress balls, bubble wrap, and fidget spinners
- Tylenol
- Fuzzy socks or slippers
- A new water bottle to stay hydrated
- Extra school supplies for studying, like highlighters, gel pens, index cards and Post-its
- A thoughtful card to encourage students through their stressful exam time
Download a Care Package Party Planning Checklist
Pin this Post for a Care Package Party
Gather your friends today! Hosting a care package party is easy and you’ll have a great time doing it. It’s always fun to catch up and talk about how our kids are doing. Enjoy some time among friends!
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I sent my daughter one of these care packages and she loved it. She was so overwhelmed by the surprise of goodies she almost cried. Thank you for the wonderful ideas in this blog.
That makes us so happy to hear!