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Participation - How
1. Cut the coupons.
2. Sort them by "food" and "non-food"
3. Total the batch by dollar amount.
4. Place each batch in a separate envelope or baggie "food' in one, and "non-food" in the other.
5. Send a report to OCP.
6. Note: The base and OCP will not contact you. (For details see: "Confirmation Requests" page.)
Participation - Questions
What questions will not receive answers if you send a Question form?
1. If it is answered at the website, you will be refered back to our site.
2. If your email has a "request" service to block spam, we will not request that we are added to your list. We send the answer and assume you can receive it. Please consider using an open email address for your question.
3. Mail blocked in some way by you or your internet service.
Donation size?
There is no minimum. You'll find that those pesky little pieces of paper add up fast! The average Sunday newspaper contains approximately $125 worth of coupons. Even the smallest donation, when combined with the donations of other individuals, will make a difference in the lives of many military families serving our country overseas.
Expired Coupons?
2 Months Max! Yes expired coupons are accepted. We recommend not sending any coupons older than 2 months expired on the date of shipment. They can use them for a couple of months after that but remember that the volunteers at the base must process the coupons once they arrive and get them out to be used. We also need to leave enough time for them to have the families sort through them and find the ones they want for use.
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."
Internet Coupons?
They already have access to these themselves and can get internet coupons that are not expired.
What type of coupons NOT to send?
Do not send Assistance Vouchers, Food Stamps, or any other assistance items, which generally have a personal name on them or are issued for a specific person to use. Store coupons, those only good at the store named are useless on a military base overseas. The stores there are the BX/PX or the Commissary. (See below) Do not send restaurant coupons.
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!
It is important to label the bundles "Food" and "Non-Food" or as the base requests.
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.