Celebrating the Original Care Package and What You Can Do Now

Some may be surprised to learn that care packages are a whole lot more than a box of treats sent to kids at camp. Learn about the original care packages and how the organization behind them, care.org, has pivoted to assist Americans who need aid during the coronavirus pandemic. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
We are so grateful to our launch partners, founding partner
PNG and Bank of America. Together we're bringing you something
good every day, and it wouldn't be possible without their support.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,

(00:24):
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere every day. We just
need to look for it and share it. Here's something
Good for Today. When you hear the phrase care package,
what do you think of? Some might think of a

(00:44):
letter from mom tucked in a box with some treats
while away at summer camp. Others might think about a
keepsake from home when moving out for the first time.
But you may be surprised to learn that the care
package originated in the US and it means some thing
very significant. For over seventy years, the nonprofit organization Care

(01:05):
has delivered over a hundred million care packages and humanitarian
aid to countries across the globe. Today, we're going to
learn more about care packages and what CARE is doing
today to address the COVID nineteen pandemic. But First, here's
a little history. The original CARE in CARE package was
actually an acronym that stood for Cooperative for American remittances

(01:26):
to Europe. Their mission was to send food to countries
devastated by World War Two. The original source was a U. S.
Army surplus of ten and one food rations designed to
provide ten soldiers with one meal each. CARE sent its
first humanitarian shipment of fifteen thousand packages to French war
survivors on May eleven. After transitioning away from war relief,

(01:50):
CARE became the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, before
eventually using the word CARE on its own. Today, over
seventy later, CARE has worked in over ninety countries, creating
new and innovative programs to fight poverty and help struggling
families all over the world. Now, in the wake of
this global pandemic, CARE has shifted its efforts to directly

(02:12):
address the global impact of COVID nineteen on the most
vulnerable populations. The CARE is now facing a never before challenge,
a global pandemic that has put the US on their
list of countries in dire need for the first time
in history. CARE has just announced a domestic aid program
in response to the coronavirus pandemic. We spoke with Michelle

(02:35):
Nunn from care dot org to learn more about their
domestic care packages. Here's what she had to say. Care
is for the very first time in our seventy five
years of history, bringing back the work and knowledge and
expertise that we have and we're applying it right here
to the United States. And we realized when we when
we confronted this, that there has never been a more

(02:57):
important time for the idea of a care package. And
so right now here in America, we realize that that's
what people need, if they need us to stand in
solidarity with them, to show that we care. And so specifically,
we're delivering meals to those who are homebound in low
income and we're also delivering gift cards actual cash uh
that is going to caregivers that are on the front line.

(03:19):
I know we've never been more appreciative than we are
right now of those frontline workers, whether they're the grocery
clerks or whether they're nurses. And through care dot org,
you have the opportunity to send a care package to
someone that you know or to someone that you don't know,
someone that that can really use again the solidarity and
the support at this critical moment. I think what makes

(03:42):
me hopeful is the people around the world who are
standing in solidarity with one another, who are observing the
public health protocols in order to protect those who are
most vulnerable. UH. The people that are sending care their
monthly UH five dollars even when they're losing their jobs,
and saying we are going to ensure that we that

(04:05):
we stand with people who are most vulnerable. And to
see people's generosity at a time when they themselves are sacrificing,
I think gives me an enormous amount of hope. We've
already delivered twenty thousand care packages just launched, having launched
this in the last week and UH, and we anticipate
over the next year and hope that we'll be able
to send five hundred thousand or even a million care

(04:27):
packages to those who need them here at home and
to send support to those around the world. It's inspiring
to hear how organizations are helping us respond to the
challenges of this pandemic. We're getting new ideas on ways
we can all chip in and assist the brave nurses, doctors,
first responders, caregivers, and essential workers on the front line.

(04:49):
It's incredible to hear that Care's new care package will
provide direct financial support to the frontline workers of the
COVID nineteen crisis right here in the US. The packages
will also provide food and essential supplies for the area
as hard as hit by this pandemic, New York and
San Francisco. So here's something good for today. We've come
through hard times before, and organizations like care dot org

(05:12):
have always been there to provide the help that's needed most.
You can help by sharing this podcast and spreading the
word about the real meaning of care packages, and you
might consider sending one yourself, which will provide direct support
to frontline workers and medical staff in the US. Go
to www dot care package dot org to learn more.

(05:42):
I love it when I see brands genuinely stepping up
during times of need. E n G and its brands
like Always, Oral, B and Vix are doing whatever they
can to help our communities, and I couldn't be more
proud to be a partner. They're distributing masks, hand sanitizer,
and cleaning products to the communities who meet it most
tied plea nurs is giving free laundry services to healthcare workers,

(06:02):
and Gillette and ol A are also providing shaving and
skincare products to ensure their masks bit properly. Thank you
PNG for stepping up as a force for good and
donating millions to support our communities. Thank you for listening,
and please share Today's Something Good with others in your life.
This is Kim Azzarelli, co author of Fast Forward and

(06:22):
co founder of Seneca Women. To learn more about Seneca Women,
go to Seneca Women dot com or download the Seneca
Women app free in the app store. Cares Something Good
is a production of the Seneca Women podcast network and
I Heart Radio Have a Great Day. For more podcasts

(06:44):
from my heart Radio, check out the i Heart Radio app,
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