My company, desperate for any sort of charitable PR they can muster, has been setting up boxes for people to donate stuff that we’ll then send to the troops in Afghanistan. Which is a good thing. When they asked for volunteers to help sort it all I went and chipped in.

Most of it was food related of course, but some of the items were a little silly, or not properly thought through. For instance:

• Flashlights, because the Army doesn’t provide them I guess?
• Rechargable batteries (but no chargers)
• Bibles, which is understandable but actually not allowed to be shipped per military regulations (don’t want the locals think we’re gearing up for a convert-fest… sending one or two at a time is ok)
• One really nice set of poker chips, over which I’m sure there will be fisticuffs
• A ‘spa gift set’ containing nice slippers, a nice robe, and some stink-pretty bath stuff, over which some of the female troops may come to blows
• A box full of hotel shampoos which is actually a good idea, just seemed silly
• A single miniature hackey-sack
• A single package of microwavable popcorn (which the troops love but most folks include the whole box, you know?)
• A shopping bag of leftover halloween candy.
• William Shatner’s new book (ew).

There was some brilliant stuff in there as well… someone was thoughtful enough to provide five two-pound boxes of athletic tape. Oh, and a few folks sent Snuggies, though I don’t know if they were the camo-patterned ones. At any rate, the troops will be eating a lot better than the folks they’re shooting at.