marijaldm Wrote:
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> I avoid the A scenario because the box purchase is
> frequently not reimbursed in full if at all.The B
> scenario, except when sent to me, risks shipping
> charges only partially reimbursed. Too often I've
> laid out over ten dollars only to get slightly
> more than $8 back. Although BARE pays fairly
> quickly, I'm not crazy about waiting even one
> month for reimbursement and losing $1-$2 total
> each time.
>
> From other postings, I've learned to mail myself
> items that I already own, cat food, soup cans etc
> to save money and to try to be only slightly over
> 18 oz., the minimum required weight.
I go to Walmart and get a small box and a couple of cans of fruits or veges. Head to the produce aisle and find the combination that edges just over the 20 oz. mark (18 is the minimum but based on the wildly varying weights of the exact same items at different locations I need some cushion). Then I send the items to a Second Harvest the next major city over. The result is a minimal, fully reimbursed shipping charge, a minimal, fully reimbursed box charge (only needs to be big enough to ship a can) and a tax deductible charitable contribution for someone who's hungry.