The CARE Package was the original unit of aid distributed by the humanitarian organization CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere). Originally CARE was dubbed the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe, and in 1946 CARE sent the world's first CARE Package. Although "CARE Package" is a registered trademark, the term has since been widely adopted as a generic term for a parcel of food or supplies sent for relief or comfort purposes. CARE International CARE was originally founded as an organization to help support people affected by World War II. Origin In 1945, the newly formed CARE (then the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe) initiated a program to send food relief to Europe, where large numbers of people were at risk of starvation in the wake of World War II. Arthur Ringland and Dr. Lincoln Clark approached 22 American charities to propose a non-profit corporation to funnel food parcels from Americans to loved ones in Europe. The charities agreed and on November 27, they incorporated CARE. CARE's leaders worked with the U.S. Army to acquire 2.8 million Army surplus "10-in-1" food rations that had been stockpiled for an invasion of Japan that never transpired. These parcels, a form of MRE (Meals Ready to Eat), were sent to Europe. These rations become the world's first CARE Packages. After six months, CARE delivered the first CARE Packages to the battered port city of Le Havre, France. Founding charities Following are the original 22 founding organizations that supported CARE and the original CARE Package American Christian Committee for Refugees, INC American Friends Service Committee American Jewish Join Distribution Committee, INC American Relief for Czechoslovakia, INC American Relief for France Inc, American Relief for Norway INC American Relief for Poland Committee on Christian Science Wartime Activities for the Mother Church Congressional Christian Services Committee (United Church for World Ministries) Cooperative League of the USA International Rescue and Relief Committee National CIO War Relief Committee Paderewski Testimonial Fund Save the Children Federation Tolstoy Foundation Unitarian Service Committee United Lithuanian Relief Fund of America United Ukrainian American Relief Committee United Yugoslav Relief Fund of America War Relief Services, National Catholic Welfare Conference (Catholic Relief Services) YMCA- World Emergency and War Victims Fund Contents In total, this represented approximately . Distribution The first 20,000 packages reached the port of Le Havre, France, on May 11, 1946. Initially, senders had to specify a recipient for a