Hundreds of Military Care Packages Returned to Connecticut Nonprofit

A Berlin-based nonprofit spent years lifting the spirits of deployed service members. This holiday season, it got a gut-punch when hundreds of its care packages were rejected and sent back home.

Boxes to Boots, a Connecticut volunteer group that ships snacks and essentials to troops overseas, saw roughly three-quarters of its latest shipment returned over customs form issues. That’s threatening to keep holiday cheer from reaching those serving far from home.

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Berlin Nonprofit’s Holiday Mission Hits a Wall

Every year, Boxes to Boots rallies volunteers from across Connecticut—whether they’re in Berlin, New Britain, Hartford, or Middletown. Together, they assemble holiday care packages for men and women serving in more than a dozen countries.

This season, the group packed over 1,800 boxes filled with candy, snacks, and toiletries. They labeled everything carefully and shipped the boxes through the U.S. Postal Service.

But instead of arriving on base, 884 of those boxes boomeranged back to the nonprofit’s doorstep. Each one was stamped “return to sender,” with the word “toiletries” circled in red.

Some packages made it through customs, but most did not. Volunteers felt stunned and scrambled for answers.

Three-Quarters of Packages Rejected at Customs

Only about a quarter of the Boxes to Boots shipment actually cleared customs and reached the intended service members. The rest came back to Connecticut—an emotional and logistical blow for the organization.

The nonprofit paid more than $7,600 in shipping costs for this round alone. Now they’re left with stacks of unopened boxes and no clear explanation in hand.

The markings on the returned boxes suggested a problem with how toiletries were described. Yet all the packages had been labeled the same way.

Stricter Customs Rules Catch Volunteers Off Guard

At the heart of the problem seems to be stricter customs requirements. Many small nonprofits and families in places like New Haven, Stamford, and Norwich may not even realize the changes have taken effect.

Customs rules now demand more detailed descriptions of items—especially toiletries and personal care products—on shipping forms. Instead of umbrella terms like “toiletries,” customs officials want shippers to list specific items and details, such as material and purpose.

That might mean writing “travel-size plastic bottle of shampoo” or “bar soap – personal hygiene” rather than a single catch-all phrase.

April 2023 and September 2025 Labeling Changes

The changes tightened in April 2023 and again in September 2025. They affect not just commercial shipments but also small, personal and charitable parcels headed overseas.

For organizations like Boxes to Boots, which rely on long-standing packing routines and volunteer labor, those incremental regulatory shifts can be easy to miss—and costly when misunderstood. USPS and U.S. Customs haven’t yet provided the nonprofit with a specific, written explanation of what exactly went wrong on the labels.

The group is left piecing together the new expectations on its own.

Volunteers Left Waiting—and So Are the Troops

Boxes to Boots director Gauvin described the situation as deeply frustrating and disheartening. Without clear guidance from USPS, the group couldn’t relabel and reship in time to guarantee delivery by Christmas.

The setback is personal. One of the packages was requested by a young Marine who specifically asked for a holiday care box—a connection that hit home for volunteers from towns like Waterbury and Fairfield.

Military families know how much a simple box from home can mean.

Appeal for Help from Senator Richard Blumenthal

In response, Gauvin reached out to U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, hoping for help with the tangle of USPS and customs regulations. The hope is to get concrete, actionable instructions so Boxes to Boots can relabel and resend the returned packages confidently.

The nonprofit is ready to do the extra work—opening, documenting, and re-labeling each box in painstaking detail—if they can be sure the next shipment won’t be turned away again. For the volunteers, the priority is clear: get these boxes back in the mail and into the hands of the troops who were counting on them.

What This Means for Other Connecticut Senders

The Boxes to Boots ordeal is a cautionary tale for anyone in Connecticut who ships items overseas. Whether you’re running a small business in Bridgeport or just mailing from your family home in West Hartford, you’ll want to pay attention.

The rules have changed. Now, senders need to rethink how they describe and document their packages.

Honestly, it’s wild how quickly well-meaning efforts can get tripped up by new regulations. Agencies like USPS really need to step up and communicate better with community groups.

Here is the source article for this story: Hundreds of care packages meant for overseas troops returned to CT nonprofit

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