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    Home » Recipes » Food Writing & Articles

    Tips for Making and Sending College Care Packages

    By Nancy Mock September 14, 2020 Updated March 18, 2022 8 Comments

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    Graphic of an envelope with a heart

    Here are ideas and things to check on when making college care packages for your favorite college student — plus ideas for homemade treats!

    How To Make a College Care Package

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Ah, college life. It's an exciting and life-changing experience to be away from home, and truly independent for the first time. It can also be more than a little overwhelming, especially when the reality of long classes and late nights sets in. Plus a little homesickness.

    Care packages from home with treats, self-care items, and lots of love from you are just what students need in those moments!  

    Here are a few helpful tips for sending college care packages, plus ideas for themed packages and homemade treats.

    graphic of a finger pointing to a heart

    Share these with family members and friends who are getting ready to send care packages of their own!

    Check on the college mailroom service

    person carrying a large stack of boxes

    The package and letter processing at college mailrooms may be slow, especially at the start of the school year and during the holidays. And that's on top of the transit time for your package just to reach the school.

    For non-perishable items, this is no big deal, but if you're sending homemade treats, you won't want them sitting unopened for days on end.

    Ask your student how the mail/package delivery has been. One alternative to mailing the package is to send them with a friend headed in that direction. (A great reason to connect with families whose kids are attending college in the same area as your kid.) Another option is to explore grocery delivery services like Uber Eats or InstaCart, where you can order groceries and treats and have them delivered to your student. Speaking of prepackaged treats...

    Send convenience foods

    Person eating instant noodles from a white bowl

    Our daughter's requests for her first college care package? Easy Mac, Goldfish Crackers, and cans of Spicy V-8 Juice!

    Even with ample dining hall options, having convenience foods in her dorm room (along with her microwave and mini-fridge) made it easier to hunker down for intense blocks of studying and work. They also help on busy mornings when students need to dash to class with no time to buy breakfast. 

    Some good choices for prepackaged foods include Goldfish, energy bars, fruit pouches, Cup O'Noodles, jerky sticks, and popcorn.

    One more note about popcorn: sending microwave popcorn is a no-brainer, but another great option is a glass popcorn popper. They're used in the microwave with less expensive, bagged popping corn, and they eliminate the waste of one-use microwave bags.

    Check the weather

    ice cream cone melting

    Forget the temp outside: ask your student what the temperature is inside their dorm! Many dorm rooms have no air conditioning and may stay sticky and hot even in the fall.

    Before you send a box of chocolaty cookies or fudge doomed to melt, check with your student first to see if your snacks will hold up. During the hotter, more humid days stick with cookies and snacks that will hold up in the heat. (Save the melty stuff for cooler weather.)

    Throw in some extras

    Yellow toy character with a gring ring

    Extras for the packages can be practical, silly, or heartfelt — or all three! How about specialty toppings for all that microwave popcorn, a silly toy, or handwritten notes from everyone in the house.

    Games are a great choice too, as simple as a deck of cards, more complex like Codenames, or a little more grown-up like Cards Against Humanity!

    Ideas for themed care packages:

    Woman lying down with a mug

    Cold & Flu Season Care Package

    Being away from home that first time you get sick really stinks! A care package with comforting, self-care items is so thoughtful. Think tissues, cold medicine, herbal teas, and instant chicken noodle soup.

    Vitamin C supplements like Emergen-C are also a good idea because if one student has the creeping crud, you can bet the whole dorm floor does too.

    Spices in teaspoons and scattered on a dark board

    Pantry Items Care Package

    Does your student have a kitchen in their dorm or their first apartment? You know they won't remember to pick up kitchen basics until they're too hungry to think straight! Send packaged mixes for baked goods, spices to stock their cabinets, plus baking and cooking staples.

    If your student has a favorite dish that you always made for them at home, send the recipe along with the shelf-stable ingredients they'll need to put it together.

    Chips, coffee and gummy bears

    Mid-Terms & Exam Week Care Package

    Three words: caffeine, sugar, and salt: the three basic necessities when you're stressed out and need to stay awake for all-night studying and writing! Sweet and salty snack mixes hit the spot here, along with tea and coffee: instant coffee if they don't have access to a coffee maker or K-Cups.

    This is a good time for gift cards too: to Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, and Taco Bell. Check the college's food service page on their website — in addition to special dining events to get students through exam weeks, some have options for parents to order special treats for students to pick up.

    Group of college students

    Homemade Treats

    While pre-packaged stuff is helpful and thoughtful, my informal poll of college students reveals without a doubt: homemade treats RULE! There's no better way to show how much you care than the time and effort put into home-baked snacks.

    Pile of chocolate cookies and some dusted with sugar

    Here are some recipe ideas for your college care package: sweets and treats that are delicious and will hold up well to shipping:

    Lime Butter Cookie Bites
    Melt-in-your-mouth treats with lots of lime and a butter cookie crunch. Lime Butter Cookie Bites are easy to make and delicious.
    Take me there
    Round cookie balls covered in sugar
    Crispy Chewy Chocolate Cookies
    A lightly crisp outside and a chewy inside make these chocolate cookies irresistible! They're delicious on their own, or used to sandwich a frosting or jam filling.
    Take me there
    Six chocolate cookies on a black plate
    Chocolate, Granola and Peanut Butter Bites
    Chewy treats with an undercurrent of peanut butter. Chocolate, Granola, and Peanut Butter Bites make a satisfying snack!
    Take me there
    Chocolate granola candies
    Sweet Tooth Snack Mix
    A sweet snack mix made of cereal, nuts, chocolate and even sprinkles! It'll make you smile and definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!
    Take me there
    I created this mix to hit the sweet spot.
    Peanut Butter Caramel Cookies
    Prepare yourself for an incredibly delicious flavor combination! Peanut Butter Caramel Cookies have sweet and gooey cente
    Take me there
    row of baked peanut butter cookies
    Spicy BBQ Chex Mix Recipe
    A zesty blend of cereal, pretzels, and peanuts! Make this Spicy BBQ Chex Mix recipe for game night, movie night, Netflix bingeing, or any munchy time!
    Take me there
    Snack mix near cards and beer
    Toffee & Chocolate Bark with Toasted Almonds
    Toffee and chocolate coat buttery shortbread cookies to make this deliciously addictive candy.
    Take me there
    Image of Trefoils Toffee & Chocolate Bark with Toasted Almonds
    Soft Buttermilk Molasses Cookies
    A classic, delicious molasses cookie with lots of spice. Perfect for the holidays or any time you're craving this old-fashioned flavor.
    Take me there
    Old Fashioned Iced Pumpkin Cookies
    You're going to love these soft cookies full of sweetness and spice. These Old Fashioned Iced Pumpkin Cookies are a wonderful treat.
    Take me there
    White plate with brown cookies topped with frosting
    Peanut Butter Balls
    Creamy and sweet peanut butter balls in a smooth, chocolate shell! They are a delicious candy popular at the holidays but wonderful any time of the year.
    Take me there
    Chocolate chips and round chocolate candies

    💬 What are you putting in your college care package? Leave a comment below!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heidi Echo

      September 23, 2015 at 4:26 pm

      I'm sure she loved these Nancy! I just Hannah a small package the other day--pumpkin mini breads and muffins, a package of gum and a note. She got it the day after I sent it thankfully!

      Reply
      • Nancy Mock

        September 24, 2015 at 10:31 am

        Ooh, those sound yummy, and seasonally delicious! Glad to hear the package reached her quickly.

        Reply
    2. CakePants

      September 15, 2015 at 7:57 pm

      Wow, your daughter is a lucky girl to have such a thoughtful parent - and all those snacks look great! I don't think I ever received a care package in college (sad violin!) but I did manage to send some to my friends for their birthdays. My mom did (and still does, years post-college) send non-edibles, like crossword puzzles from the local newspaper or comics that she thought I'd like.

      Reply
      • Nancy Mock

        September 16, 2015 at 6:21 am

        I love that you sent things to your friends 🙂 Newspaper clippings! There's something so heartwarming about that, I used to get those from my grandparents especially Garfield and Nancy comics. It's a sweet feeling knowing that someone is thinking of you as they read the paper!

        Reply
    3. armchairsquid

      September 14, 2015 at 11:23 pm

      The girl doesn't know how lucky she is...

      Great post with lots of excellent advice. The glass microwave popcorn popper is pure genius.

      Reply
      • Nancy Mock

        September 16, 2015 at 6:24 am

        Aw thanks 🙂 Those poppers are awesome, I highly recommend.

        Reply
    4. Juliet

      September 14, 2015 at 2:22 pm

      Such a great post! Being a student and away from home, I always love receiving care packages like this one. I'm convinced your daughter was thrilled 🙂

      x, Juliet

      Reply
      • Nancy Mock

        September 16, 2015 at 6:24 am

        Thanks Juliet! What do you get in your care packages?

        Reply

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