SERVING TOGETHER BLOG

by Judy O’Connor, Founder & CEO of Like Neighbors

A Great Good-Bye: Three Group Gift Ideas for the Relocating Military Family

An inevitable part of military life, moving can be exciting and filled with new possibilities. It can also be physically, financially and emotionally taxing. If a family you care about is being relocated, you may wonder how you can help them get settled in their new city. While you can’t drop off a lasagna or keep an eye on the kids, you can be there for them… regardless of distance.

So, organize your troops and send the family off with a group gift that will ease their transition and let them know they’ll be missed. The gifts below are unique and affordable, don’t need to be packed, and will continue to give long after the movers are gone.

Keep the kids occupied

What do unpacking boxes, revising a resume and painting a bathroom all have in common? They can be accomplished far more quickly when the children are busy in another room! If you’d like to provide a fun, educational distraction for the kids, consider a subscription activity box. (It’s hard to know whether the children or the parents will be more excited each time a new box arrives!) Starting at just $12.95 a month, there are options for every age and interest, from the budding scientist to the crafty creator. For children with autism or sensory delays, the Sensory TheraPLAY Box  is filled with items each month that encourage fun therapeutic play.

Gift dinners for the whole family… or romantic meals for two

Give the tired travelers something you know they’ll appreciate: meals that don’t involve crust topped with sauce and cheese. Set up a care campaign on LikeNeighbors.com to make it easy for everyone in your group to email gift cards good for delicious, fully-prepared meal deliveries. Great for family dinners or special dine-in date nights, the gift cards provide flexibility (as well as truly amazing food) for a family in transition.

Give your book club a “happily ever after”

Present a departing book club member with a list of the next several books your club will be reading. Personalize this gift by choosing titles that remind you of him or her, and write your reasons (sappy or silly) by the titles. When it’s time to begin each new book, a different book club member will be responsible for sending it to your long-distance friend. Of course, use video conferencing when your book club meets, and it will be just like old times. Don’t have a book club? This is a great way to start one!

7 Tips for Hosting a Digital Book Club

Whatever you choose as your send-off gift, your thoughtfulness will be appreciated and your friendship treasured. Maintaining long-distance relationships requires a bit of work and creativity, but it’s always worth the effort to keep loved ones close.

About Like Neighbors

In 2014, Like Neighbors founder Judy O’Connor coordinated a restaurant meal delivery for an out-of-state friend whose child was critically ill. This seemingly simple act required significant coordination with local friends, the child’s father, and the restaurant. What did the family want to eat? What time? What restaurants delivered to their home? Were there dietary restrictions? Judy knew there had to be a better way for people to help each other during life’s most challenging times.

Like Neighbors now serves those in need across the mid-Atlantic states, making it easy for their loved ones nationwide to send support. We’ll continue to add locations and services until anyone, anywhere can give and receive what’s needed most, regardless of distance.