Iowa Volunteers Pack Care Packages for Deployed Troops

Blue Star Mothers of Iowa packed over 2,000 care packages for Iowa service members deployed or set to deploy around the holidays.

Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Military

Iowa Volunteers Pack Care Packages for Deployed Troops

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Blue Star Mothers of Iowa packed over 2,000 care packages for all Iowa service members who are deployed or set to deploy before and just after the holidays. Nearly 600 volunteers helped build boxes, organize items and pack them over the week.

Why it matters

The effort supports Iowa service members away from home during the holiday season and shows broad community involvement in the mission. The group packed over 3,000 packages last year, and fewer deployed members this year means fewer packages are being made.

Blue Star Mothers of Iowa packed over 2,000 packages this year, down from more than 3,000 last year, as the number of deployed service members has declined. Nearly 1,400 packages were filled in eight hours on Friday, with the remainder scheduled for Saturday.

The players

Blue Star Mothers of Iowa

A chapter of the national Blue Star Mothers organization, a group of mothers whose children are or have served in the U.S. armed forces, which runs the Iowa care package effort.

The details

The care package items include food, condiments, hygiene items, stress balls, drink flavorings, hand-made notes and crosswords. The project began as a Blue Star Mom effort and has grown into an Iowa-wide mission, with the group opening volunteer recruitment to the community.

Over a decade ago: The care package tradition began.
Last year: The group packed over 3,000 care packages.
Week before packing (November 2026): Volunteers built boxes and organized items.
Friday, November 13, 2026: Volunteers packed nearly 1,400 packages starting at 9 a.m.
Saturday, November 14, 2026: Remaining packages were scheduled to be filled.

Military Support Networks

The Iowa effort follows the model of the national Blue Star Mothers organization, which has supported deployed service members through volunteer-driven care packages for years. The drop in packages this year reflects the smaller number of Iowa service members deployed, not a change in the program's structure.

Iowans who want to help can volunteer or donate to Blue Star Mothers of Iowa to support deployed service members during the holidays. Families of deployed members receive a reminder that their loved ones are being thought of by the community.

The takeaway

Community volunteers can make a direct difference for deployed service members by giving time or supplies to organizations like Blue Star Mothers of Iowa. Even small donations of food or personal notes help service members feel remembered during the holidays.