I sent envelopes of stuff the first and second years (dorm and sorority living). For the third year for one kid I sent the Amazon Prime boxes of grocery and snack items. It was very easy to just shop for cosmetics and beauty, but also send soup and toilet paper.
I may send my college grads a flat rate box of their fav homemade cookies (an odd recipe I used to make.) Neither lives far, but they’d be tickled.
I just mailed care packages to D and S yesterday. Home baked cookies and valentines candy for S, the same plus a set of spices for D. D is 23 and gives me grief if I don’t send a care package once in a while. 
There’s something special about a package from home.
When my D was in college, she loved the homemade goodies…and her dorm had it’s own mailroom in the building.
My S had a centralized mailroom on campus …which meant he’d have to walk 2 blocks (the horrors!) to get his mail and packages. Needless to say, this did not happen very often…and sending perishable stuff was not a good idea…
^^same for my daughters. One just picked up her mail at the dorm desk, the other had to go across campus and it took days to get anything to her. Started sending stuff to her boyfriend’s address.
D was so happy to get the goodie box from me. It had gummy bears with her favorite seasoning, international chocolates large container from Costco ($7 after Xmas clearance), sleep mask, boxes of dark chocolate mac nut candy, flavored lavosh and sheets of dark chocolate chia candy. No home baked items but D was thrilled.
Also included a tube of toothpaste but she says she still has a tube! I guess I’d better remember not to send her another. 
I can’t wait to send care packages! I guess I have to look into where she actually will pick up her mail.
Funny side story: I am full Italian, so we show love through food. Anyway, about a month into my freshman year my mom sent a package with fried chicken and cicoria, which are dandelion greens.
Anyone who has ever hand-picked dandelion greens know they are a pain in the you-know-what and take forever to clean. Right then and there, I knew my mom missed me.
My roommate looked at me with pity in her eyes. She said, “man, what did you do to your mom? She sent you weeds.”
=))
I send a care package to my college student every month filled with stuffed I’ve baked or made. I crochet, and he has asked for a blanket, a throw, scarves, and hats, so I include those as I finish them. (I’ve made a few things for roomates, too, and drain my local JoAnn’s stock of camouflage yarn regularly). Around holidays, I add holiday-themed things. He especially likes spider webbing and gross or scary stuff at Halloween that can be used to alarm his roomies. Twice a year just before final exams, the local parents club has a “boodle” meeting where we stuff large boxes full of goodies for each cadet from our state, and the club pays to ship them. The kids love those boxes as they have enough junk in them to stock a 7-Eleven.
I say don’t overthink what you send. Just put something in a box with a card or letter and some pics from home (pets are always a good choice), and your kiddo will be very happy. Given how much communication is done electronically these days, an actual box from home is a real thrill no matter what’s in it.
@thumper1 D will be celebrating her 21st birthday this semester while studying abroad…hadn’t thought to send all the birthday things, thanks for that idea! I’ll have to see if there’s a local bakery that could deliver a cake as well !
My friends got together for “packaging parties” where we each brought one item for the package. Our sons were all friends in high school and we are all friends too. Usually about 8 people would come to the parties. Then we would mail the packages to our sons separately.
I also just sent my younger son s box of home made heart shaped sugar cookies for Valentine’s day. Just cookies, nothing else.
I am sending S17 a care package today. A couple of bars of soap, his flip flops, some electrical component stuff for his lighting class, Tide Pods, Q-tips, paracord because he makes cool bracelets and sells them, envelopes and stamps for him to send out resumes… I don’t send food.
I sent a few.college care packages each year. Usually for Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and right before finals.each semester. Always sent plenty to.share and always included home baked goods along with some other of their favorite things. Sometimes put in a gift card to a local coffee shop.
I love sending care packages to my daughter and her friends at college. There are three types I send: the just starting college package, the seasonal package (Halloween, Valentine’s, etc) and the birthday package.
For the just starting college package, I include things like a mug, chamomile tea, cough drops, fuzzy socks, snacks, highlighters, post-its, dorm decor (like Wallies adhesive chalkboard paper). For the seasonal package, I put snacks and seasonal items- like socks with hearts or mini St. Patrick’s Day sparkly hats and some dorm decorations.
For Birthdays, I send a “My Cup of Cake” packet (cake that can be made in a mug) and a Starbucks card.
Does anyone have a good recipe for mailable/slow to spoil pizza rolls?
The first two years I sent occasional care packages. But then she lived in an apartment and went grocery shopping weekly so I figured she can get what she wants on her own.
I did participate in a fundraiser the pharmacy school was doing for the P1 students, where they sent them a care package at finals time.
She seemed to enjoy it and it was for a good cause.
S is going to college in the fall. I might send him some candy or I might just visit him in person and take him out to eat sometimes, he isn’t as far from home as D.