The large care packages will be shipped Nov. 30 to individual members of the armed forces in Iraq, who will distribute them to fellow service members. The packages should reach their recipients a few days before Christmas.

"The most important things are prepaid phone cards, disposable cameras - they like to take photos and mail them back to their families and they develop them - and stationery paper and cards," Hornik said. "We've already bought stockings and Santa hats."

Other items include books, hand-held games, decks of cards, dice, other games that will fit in pockets on military clothing, travel-size toothpaste and toothbrushes, work gloves, men's and women's basic white socks and hard candy. Chocolate melts in the heat.

"You can't send anything religious. I'm really careful what I send out; I know what's allowed and not allowed," Hornik said, adding that she knows how to package the items, as well.

One major item appreciated by the troops that Hartland South students, and students from other schools around the country, have sent overseas are cards: Christmas cards, letters and hand-drawn pictures.

"Each box gets dozens and dozens of letters," Hornik said. Hornik is the contact for the project. Last names and addresses of students are left off letters.

The troops have responded to students at Hartland South by sending thank-you letters, a U.S. flag and a disc containing a slide show of pictures taken in Iraq put to music.

Anyone who would like a package sent to a particular service member should drop it off at the school, along with the overseas address of that person and a photo, which will be put in a memory book for the students.

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