CARE celebrates 80 years by delivering the next generation of CARE PACKAGE® kits
- CARE Belgium
- 22 hours ago
- 3 min read
80 years ago, CARE sent the first CARE PACKAGE across oceans to help people after World War II.
Eight decades after creating and delivering the first CARE PACKAGE boxes, the humanitarian organization CARE is marking the anniversary by relaunching the CARE PACKAGE.
Eighty years ago, on May 11, 1946, the first CARE PACKAGE boxes arrived in Le Havre, France, delivering relief and hope to families recovering from the devastation of World War II. Stocked with essential food supplies and everyday comforts, the boxes quickly became powerful symbols of American compassion. This movement was started by 22 American civic, relief, and charitable organizations who joined forces in New York City to form the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe — an effort that would become CARE, the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere. In the 80 years that followed, CARE has grown into a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty in more than 120 countries.
Marlene Mahta, 86, remembers receiving CARE PACKAGE boxes as a child in postwar Frankfurt, Germany: “We had no residence. We had no food. We had no water. Suddenly, there was a distribution of CARE PACKAGES… I still remember the taste of the chocolate. I remember the feeling of being seen, of knowing that someone, somewhere, cared.”
The CARE PACKAGE launched a global humanitarian movement and became a universal symbol of solidarity. Today, CARE is renewing that legacy by relaunching the iconic CARE PACKAGE, with the goal of reaching two million people worldwide by 2030.
An original CARE PACKAGE can be seen in Belgium at the House of European History.
"The CARE PACKAGE showed what’s possible when people come together to support one another," said Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE. "Reconnecting Americans to the CARE PACKAGE helps carry forward the culture of care that emerged after World War II. At a time when humanitarian needs are rising and aid resources are dwindling, we are looking to bring that same spirit of compassion to families facing crisis around the world and here at home.”
A BOX IS JUST A BOX...
Until it's so much more. 80 years ago, CARE created the CARE PACKAGE to deliver food, supplies, and lifesaving essentials - but what arrived first was hope. Today, we're bringin it back. See why it's what's inside that counts.
Today, the CARE PACKAGE has been reimagined to meet the most urgent crises of this moment. A CARE PACKAGE can include cloths, soap, and essentials for a new mother who has lost her home in a disaster. It can also deliver a backpack of items that meet shelter, cooking, and hygiene needs for a family of four for a month.
The modern, global CARE PACKAGE
CARE is introducing the CARE PACKAGE for Emergencies, an innovative evolution of the original CARE PACKAGE designed for today’s global crises. It supports those affected by humanitarian emergencies around the world. Each package is a lightweight and customizable kit housed in three easy-to-carry nylon packs that can support a family of four for up to one month, and includes nearly 40 items for addressing urgent shelter, cooking, water, and hygiene needs. CARE aims to reach one million people with these new kits by 2030. The CARE PACKAGE for Emergencies have already been piloted in the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mozambique, and Malawi.
It's what's inside that counts
Over the years, the CARE PACKAGE has come in many sizes, shapes, and formats, but it’s what’s inside that counts. It’s about getting people what they need and when they need it because every second counts in times of crisis.
Read more: What's Inside a CARE PACKAGE®? - CARE
