Family Takes a “CARE” Package Home, Berlin, Germany, 1946 [1400×1146]

In 1945, Arthur Ringwald and Dr. Lincoln Clark approached 22 American charitable organizations with the idea of creating a non-profit corporation to send food packages to Europe. Searching for a name that made a sensible acronym, Clark’s wife, Alice, suggested "Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe" — CARE.

Incorporated in November 1945, CARE first needed food to send. The leaders of CARE approached the Army and were able to acquire nearly 3 million surplus rations known as "10-in-1." Designed to feed 10 men one day of meals, these robust rations included a variety of items otherwise almost unavailable in some parts of Europe. With almost 3 million rations in their inventory, CARE began to package the items for shipment to Europe. What became known as CARE packages evolved over time, but the first packages included:

• One pound of beef in broth
• One pound of steak and kidneys
• Eight ounces of liver loaf
• Eight ounces of corned beef
• 12 ounces of luncheon loaf (like Spam)
• Eight ounces of bacon
• Two pounds of margarine
• One pound of lard
• One pound of fruit preserves
• One pound of honey
• One pound of raisins
• One pound of chocolate
• Two pounds of sugar
• Eight ounces of egg powder
• Two pounds of whole-milk powder
• Two pounds of coffee

The first CARE packages reached Le Havre, France, in May 1945, and the first aid deliveries arrived in Germany in August 1946. By the end of 1947, more than 200,000 CARE packages had been distributed in the city of Berlin alone.

Source : Sending Hope to Europe: The First CARE Packages Arrive in 1946