If you’re a coupon clipper, chances are sometimes you clip too much and are left with excess coupons that you can’t use.
Rather than letting those unused coupons languish until they get tossed in the recycle bin, why not send them overseas to help the brave men and women of our military and their families?
Read more: The Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act —A financial safety net for the troops
The troops want you…to send them expired coupons!
Military families who are stationed overseas buy their groceries from the commissary on base. Fortunately, those commissaries will accept manufacturer’s coupons up to six months after the printed expiration date.
If you want to send your old coupons to help these military families, there’s a great organization called Overseas Coupon Program (OCP) that maintains a list of U.S. military bases abroad that need coupons.
Get an overview of the program here.
Once you get familiar with the OCP site, you can select a military base for ‘adoption,’ which means you and/or your group will send them your expired coupons on a regular basis.
Here’s a quick select list of some U.S. military bases abroad that are waiting to be adopted. There are many more, so be sure to click-through to the OCP site for the complete list.
Base location | Service branch | Mailing address |
Alconbury, U.K. |
U.S. Air Force | RAF Alconbury 423 ABS/DPF APO AE 09470 |
Ansbach, Germany |
U.S. Army |
CAFAP ACS – 235th BSB Unit 28614 APO AE 09177 |
Atsugi, Japan | U.S. Navy |
U.S. Naval Air Facility Navy FSC PSC 477 Box 32 FPO AP 96306 |
Bamburg, Germany |
U.S. Army |
USAG Bamburg IMEU-BAM-MWR-ACS Army Emergency Relief APO AE 09139 |
Helpful hints if you’re going to send coupons
- Manufacturer’s coupons only! No store-specific coupons please.
- Coupons can be up to six months old, though you should account for travel time overseas. Therefore, a good rule is not to send anything older than three months old.
- Make sure the expiration date is clearly displayed. If it’s cut off by accident, it won’t work.
- Consider sorting coupons into groups: Food, household items, toiletries, etc.
- Be sure to use air mail postage.
Read more: Buying a car—A lesson in auto finance for the troops