All posts may contain affiliate links and/or sponsored content read my disclosure here. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support!
I just received some really good information from John on our MyCouponExpert Facebook Page !
John provided a link to an organization that collects expired coupons for military families. You can access this site by clicking HERE. There is a lot of information on their website, the FAQ page is very informative.
Military families can use expired coupons at their military commissary. They ask that you send coupons that are UP TO 2 months expired to allow time for them to process the coupons before distributing them. This is not a profit organization or in anyway benefiting financially from your donation. This is a donation directly to help military families and they definitely deserve our help 
Here are some basic guidelines, but make sure you check out the site yourself to get the entire picture:
Clip the Coupons
By clipping the coupons,
you save the volunteers at the base valuable time. Most
organizations are short of needed volunteers. You also save
yourself a lot of additional postage since most of the coupon circulars
are wasted paper.
What type of Coupons?
“Manufacturer’s
Coupons”
are the coupons of choice
since they are accepted at any store. Coupons from the dispensers
in grocery stores, from the internet and from your local newspaper
inserts, and dozens of other places are good as long as those magic
words are on them: “Manufacturer’s Coupon.”
Sort the Coupons
Most bases have 2 stores. One is called the “Commissary” which is a grocery store and the other is the PX or BX which is a department store. We therefore ask you to sort the coupons into “food” and “non-food” bundles so that they can more easily be placed in the correct venue once they arrive at the base. If a base wants additional sorting they will let you know but this is the standard sort that OCP is aware of.
How to package the coupons?
Use baggies, envelopes, etc., to contain the different categories — whatever will keep them separated during shipment
(Do not use rubber bands, paper clips, and similar methods of keeping the coupons sorted as they do not work and will come apart in shipping).
Be sure to label the bundles!
What’s “Food” and what’s not?
Here’s my rule of thumb: It’s food if it can be eaten by humans, is usually eaten by humans, and is normally eaten to provide calories. For example, dog & cat food would be “Non-Food,” but Ensure or Slim-Fast would be “Food.” Vitamins would be non-food. Chewing Gum and Mints are food.
Tally the coupons
Add up the face value dollar amount for the coupons. It is no longer important to separate the “Food” and “Non-food” totals when you report. They can be added together for one report.
Is there a way to total with less work?
If you do not wish to total the coupons you may weigh them. If you choose this method we will give you current average credit. This amount will usually not be as much as if you total them yourself. It is probably about half.
How do I total coupons without a face value?
“Buy one, get one free” offers usually have a maximum value printed on them. If not, make your best guess.
Buy something, get something by mail offers (e.g., get a stuffed bear for purchasing boxes of Sudafed products) count for zero, but please send them anyway! (These things make nice, inexpensive Christmas gifts for the children.)
“Why total coupons? That’s an awful lot of work…”
* So that we may place a value on the work that you do.
* These totals also make you eligible for OCP Awards (Note: awards program currently on hold for evaluation, but remember we could restart it at any time.
* Additionally, this assists OCP HQ in tracking which bases may need to receive more coupons.
Where do I send them?
Please adopt a base. See the Adoption Page (click there).
Send them to your adopted overseas base. It costs the same to send them to the base that it does to send them to your next door neighbor. The bases are U.S. territory. If you send them to the OCP headquarters then OCP must find the same postage to re-send them to the base. That wastes your postage and effort. There are times when no one volunteers to donate the cost to forward coupons mis-sent to OCP.
Cheapest
The cheapest way to send your coupons is via “Parcel Post”. Since this method takes much longer to travel to its destination, please make sure that you send coupons that are no more than one month expired on the date of shipping if you use Parcel Post.
Fastest
A fast method of shipment is to use the Priority Mailer that the Post Office has. They have envelopes/boxes that allow you to place as much in them as you can for a fee.
Contact your local post office for the current prices per pound and best suggested methods of mailing. They will give you this information by phone.
Post Office Requests a Name
If the Post Office requests a name for the address we have furnished, explain that the package is going to a “Position” not to a “Person.” It is “Official Mail.” By military regulations, Personal Mail requires a name with the address but Official Mail does not. The “Commanding General” may be changed as the military wishes but mail to the Commanding General is for that position not for John Smith who may now be a civilian. The coupons are also Official Mail for that base. If a person is a part of the address we have placed that persons name with the address on our site. If there is no name, then we do not have one.
THANK YOU SO MUCH JOHN for sharing this information. I KNOW that many of our group of “couponers” has wanted to send their coupons to military families but had no idea where to start.
Again, you can access this wonderful website by clicking HERE. Browse around and check it all out, this is a great cause!!
