C😍re Package

Care Packages are a way to show gratitude.

• About Gratitude

  Why Gratitude is Important

  Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things we can do for one another! ⁠

  Gratitude helps people feel enhanced positive emotions, cherish good experiences, improve mental and physical health, build resilience, strengthen coping skills, and foster positive relationships. ⁠Research has found neurological reasons why so many people can benefit from this general practice of expressing thanks, even in times of challenge and change. ⁠

  How to Cultivate Gratitude

  ⁠We all have the ability to cultivate gratitude or grow our ability to express it. Here are some ways to practice:

  1. Introduce a morning gratitude ritual - start the day grounded in gratitude. Take a few moments to focus on the positive, ask yourself, 'what am I grateful for today?'⁠

  2. Be thoughtful and mindful of others feelings⁠ ⁠

  3. Be an active listener ⁠

  4. Give out compliments⁠ and words of encouragement ⁠

  5. Perform a random act of kindness for a total stranger⁠

  6. Express appreciation to others who have improved your life and share with them a detail of why you are thankful⁠

  7. Write handwritten notes of thanks, encouragement, or 'thinking of you' ⁠

  8. Spend time with others during difficult times⁠

  9. Be a support system⁠ for others⁠

  10. Celebrate someone else's achievement ⁠

  11. Share in someone else's joy⁠

  12. Go public with a positive review ⁠

  13. Pay it forward⁠

  14. If you are able, leave a generous gratuity ⁠

  15. Donate to charity⁠

  16. Volunteer ⁠

  ⁠17. Find meaningful ways to cultivate social support, which is beneficial for both individuals and society as a whole.⁠

  18. Always say "Thank You⁠"⁠

  19. SMILE - even under that mask! ⁠

  20. Make a gratitude scrapbook - show appreciation for teachers by making a scrapbook or, even better, ask your entire class to get involved, and each student can add a page of gratitude then put it all together in a book. ⁠

  21. SEND A CARE PACKAGE

  Feeling grateful doesn't just make you feel good; it also helps — literally helps — the heart. ⁠

• Care Package History

  Care packages are the ultimate way to package gratitude. It’s a way to put feelings into a box.

  History of Care Packages

  May 11, 1946 marked the day the first CARE package made its way to someone in need. They included everything from whole-milk powder to margarine to coffee. The packages were sent by Americans to starving residents in La Havre, France who were continuing to struggle with hunger and basic supplies after the devastation of World War II. These first packages were called “10-in-1” because they had enough in them to either feed 10 soldiers for a day or 1 soldier for 10 days. The cost for all of these supplies was $10. CARE packages continued to be sent around the globe as humanitarian efforts were needed. Since its beginning days, the word CARE package has become part of our vernacular or everyday language. All types of people send Care Packages for different reasons. Read more about Care Packages here.

Definition of care package

: a package of useful or pleasurable items that is sent or given as a gift to another 

Show loved ones or strangers that you care with a gift that sends get well wishes, provides encouragement, or marks a special occasion. They'll appreciate that you're thinking of them.

Here are some ideas on where to send a Care Package:

• Senior citizens home

• Children's hospital

• Children's shelter

• Animal shelter

• Medical facility (nurses, doctors, medical staff)

• Homeless shelter

• School (teachers + staff)

Team Care Hard in Action

During the 2021 surge of Covid cases in San Diego County Hospitals and restaurant closures, Team Care Hard launched an initiative to support local businesses + express gratitude to frontline workers (hospitals and first responder units).

Kids across the county made homemade signs of gratitude to express thanks to first responders + HCW's. They took photos holding the signs and used them to decorate care packages full of goodies from local businesses to nourish the frontline workers. Money to purchase items for the box was raised by various families asking others to support this cause.

This initiative fulfilled deliveries to 3 hospitals + 6 fire station divisions, + 1 nursing home. Over 178 Health Care Workers and First Responders felt the love and support from their community.

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