Please post or hand-deliver your carepacks on or before December 20th. Thank you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (F.A.Q.)
Q. What is carepack.ie?
A. carepack.ie is a completely voluntary organisation. It is a kindness initiative run by volunteers. carepack.ie liases with carehomes and nursing homes and finds out if any of their residents would like to receive a gift from a stranger for Christmas as a gesture of goodwill. We give out the resident address to a volunteer and they send them a carepack (i.e. gift) for Christmas and if it weighs under 1kg they can post it FREE with thanks to An Post. READ HERE to see more information and how to take part in simple steps.
carepack.ie is free for all service users, we do not accept donations, it is completely voluntary.
Q. How do I send a carepack?
A. Follow these simple how-to steps: HERE
Q. I did not receive my email / I have lost my email, can you resend?
A. Please search for “Your Resident Information is here!“. The details will have been sent (automatically by the website) to the email address that you provided yourself. If you do not have your email then send us as much information as possible to [email protected] – thank you. It will take several days to get a response – thank you for your patience. These queries will never be answered on social media.
Q. What happened for carepack 2024?
A. All residents were assigned in 2024. No one was left out! 26,300 residents were matched for 2024 and received a carepack (i.e. gift) for Christmas from you kind people and additionally for 2024 approximately 22,000 students and youth clubs also sent cards, letters and drawings – amazing!
Q. I registered last year, do I need to register again?
Yes. Each year is independent of each other. We do not store details and both volunteers and care homes are required to register each year that they wish to take part.
Q. I can’t login to my account?
A. Only admin have accounts. The only way to find out your resident’s details is via email – please check your spam / junk folder and move it to inbox before it auto-deletes.
NURSING HOMES & CARE HOMES
Q. I represent a Nursing Home / Care Home, how do we sign up our residents to receive gifts?
A. The 2025 campaign is now accepting sign-ups from Care facilities. Click here to register for 2025. You must be the person in charge and explicit permission to register residents.
Q. What Nursing Homes and Care Homes are registered to receive carepacks for 2025?
A. The full list of registered care homes for 2025 are listed HERE
INFORMATION ON MY RESIDENT
Q. Can I find out what my resident would like or what size they are?
A. We may consider this option for 2026, but for 2025 this is simply not possible. We recommend you keep the carepack generic. We cannot get additional information on resident’s likes and dislikes and we do not recommend that you phone the home asking for personal information on residents. Thank you for your co-operation. A great list of ideas has been provided by the homes below HERE!
Q. I did not receive a name for my resident – it just says Male / Female
A. For 2025 all carepacks are gender only and no one will receive specific names of residents. This way the nursing home staff will evenly distribute the carepacks and ensure all residents receive something appropriate. Rest assured, the staff will ensure your carepack reaches the resident most in need and most suitable for your kind gesture. Write the gender you received on the envelope in place of a name. You can write your card / letter inside to “Dear Friend”. Please do not phone the home asking who your male / female resident is as they will not be able to provide this information. Please respect GDPR and the resident’s right to privacy.
Q. Can I swap my resident for a different resident?
A. No, we do not exchange or swap residents for any reason. Your resident is a real person, please do not sign up if you do not intend to follow through. It is your responsibility to send a carepack if you signup.
Q. Will my resident write back to me?
A. No, please do not expect a response from your resident. Do include your name & address (and email) inside the carepack as the resident/staff may wish to write back to you, but please keep in mind that many residents are not capable of responding. Please do not expect a response or an acknowledgement that your carepack was received.
Q. How will I know if my resident liked their carepack?
A. This is a giving initiative run by volunteers and we unfortunately cannot find out this information. Thank you for understanding. Please only take part if you are willing to give with an open heart without expecting anything in return or confirmation of delivery.
Q. Can I return / re-assign my carepack to someone else?
A. By all means you may pass your resident details onto someone within your own circle. Unfortunately we cannot facilitate this for you. Every resident assigned is a real person and if you do not follow-through they will miss out on a carepack. Please only sign-up if you intend to follow-through. It is your responsibility to send a carepack if you signup.
WHAT TO PUT IN A CAREPACK
Q. Ideas for your carepack?
A. This is a list of welcome items provided by different care homes, you can of course come up with your own ideas. Please ensure you only send new items. Handmade gifts, like knitted scarves, etc. are always welcome.
| Suggestions | Examples |
| Magazines: | e.g. Ladies’ Magazines, Farming, Gardening, Arts & Crafts – Popular titles include: Ireland’s Own, Ireland’s Eye, People’s Friend, Almanac, Woman’s Way, The Farmer’s Journal |
| Activity Books: | e.g. Crosswords, Word Searches, Suduko, Dot-to-Dot, Games, Spot-the-difference. |
| Arts & Crafts Items: | e.g. Coloured card, stickers |
| Arts & Crafts Kits: | e.g. Painting sets, stone colouring kits, make-and-do sets, i.e. pompoms |
| Writing Paper, Note Pads, Blank Cards | |
| Playing Cards | |
| Knitting Wool | |
| Fluffy Socks | |
| Books: | e.g. Irish History or Folklore, Large Print Novels |
| C.D.s | e.g. Irish or Country Music |
| Soft Sweets | No marshmallows |
| Soft Chocolate | e.g. Cadbury’s Buttons |
| Colouring Books & Colouring Pencils | |
| Soft Blanket | |
| Matching Picture Cards | e.g. Flowers, Animals, etc. |
| Small or Large Puzzles | |
| Sensory Items | |
| Room Decorations | |
| Board Games | |
| Squeezy Balls | |
| Hand Cream & Lip Balm | |
| Teddy Bear | |
| Toiletries | e.g. soap, shampoo, toothpaste (NOTE: wrap any liquids up well and please NO AEROSOLS) |
| Room Scent | No candles |
Q. Is there anything I should not put in a carepack?
A. Please do not send used or cast-off items. All carepacks will be checked by nursing home staff to ensure they are suitable for that particular resident. Please do not send anything that could break or explode in transit. Do not send breakables, alcohol, aerosols or other pressurised containers. Please do not send any of the following.
| Please do not send the following items |
| Aerosols or pressurised containers |
| Hard or chewy sweets / marshmallows |
| Glass or breakables |
| Alcohol |
| Used or Cast-off Items |
| Peanuts |
| Candles Hot Water Bottles |
Q. What else can I include in my carepack?
A. You can also include the following if you wish to: A letter or Christmas card, your contact details (including email address) and a family photograph.
PACKAGING AND WRAPPING
Q. Can I wrap my presents?
A. Yes you can wrap the gifts in your carepack. The care home staff will be pre-check the carepacks before distributing to residents to ensure all items are suitable.
Q. Is there special carepack packaging?
A. No, carepack.ie do not provide packaging. You choose your own packaging. Some people use a padded envelope or a shoebox. Some people choose to purchase a box, however the majority of people just wrap in brown paper or in wrapping paper or even tape up a giftbag and post. Please remember to consider the weight of any packaging you use as only packages up to 1kg qualify for freepost. You can purchase boxes from An Post, but they will not be free. All packages you send through the post must be sealed fully so that nothing can fall out.
Q. Does carepack.ie sell carepacks or provide boxes?
A. NO, we simply provide the genders and addresses of residents for you to send your carepack to. carepack.ie does not have anything for sale and does not profit from this FREE service. carepack.ie does not send carepacks on your behalf. You are responsible for sending your carepacks.
Q. Is there anything else I need to consider when packaging my carepack?
A. Please do not send anything that could break or explode in transit. Ensure your carepack is fully sealed for travelling by post. Ensure all spill-able items are well wrapped up. Do not send breakables, alcohol, aerosols or other pressurised containers. You take responsibility for the items you send so please pack carefully. See full lists of items that are not suitable for sending above
ADDRESSING MY CAREPACK
Q. How do I address my carepack?
A. Write FREEPOST where the Stamp would normally go, then use this format:
- Gender of Resident
- Care Home Name
- Street / Area
- County
- Eircode
- c/o STAFF: (name provided)
- Ref: carepack.ie
Q. Do I need a first name or a surname for my resident?
A. No, in alignment with GDPR guidelines, we are only providing the gender of residents. Your carepack will be delivered directly to the staff and they will distribute your parcels at Christmas. There will be a staff member named in the address you receive, please ensure that name is on the envelope.
Q. I did not receive a name for my resident – it just says Male / Female
A. For 2025 all carepacks are gender only and no one will receive specific names of residents. This way the nursing home staff will evenly distribute the carepacks and ensure all residents receive something appropriate. Rest assured, the staff will ensure your carepack reaches the resident most in need and most suitable for your kind gesture. Write the gender you received on the envelope in place of a name. You can write your card / letter inside to “Dear Friend”. Please do not phone the home asking who your male / female resident is as they will not be able to provide this information. Please respect GDPR and the resident’s right to privacy.
POSTING AND HAND-DELIVERING
Q. How do I avail of FREEPOST with An Post?
A. An Post have generously waived postage fees for letters, large envelopes and packets up to 1kg to residents in full time residential care facilities within the state up until December 31st, 2025. Packages over 1kg will be charged in full – there is no discount for the first 1kg. You must write FREEPOST where the stamp should be. Freepost is an An Post initiative, so post offices should be aware. If your post office is not aware please direct them to An Post website where it is publicly announced and advertised. Please read full terms and conditions HERE. We have no control over the post. We recommend you post on or before December 8th, 2025.
Q. When is the last day to post?
A. We recommend you post on or before December 8th, 2025 for both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland homes. If you are posting from another country we recommend you post even earlier. If hand-delivering, we recommend you deliver on or before December 8th, 2025.
Q. Is post free from everywhere?
A. Post under 1kg is free if posted from the Republic of Ireland (ROI) to an Irish registered care facility in the ROI. If you post from another country, including the UK and Northern Ireland – post is not free and your carepack may be delayed at customs and you may incur additional charges. Post from ROI to a care home in Northern Ireland is not free and you will be charged in full as this is outside of An Post’s remit. We have no control over the post.
Q. Can I post a carepack that weighs more than 1kg?
A. Yes, you can send a carepack larger than 1kg, but you will pay the full postal rate in its entirety (there is no discount for the first 1kg). You can split your carepack over two packages if you want to avail of freepost, but please address both fully. Thank you.
Q. Can I hand deliver my carepack instead of posting?
A. Yes, you can deliver your carepack to the care home reception. Please do not ask to meet the resident. Please be aware that the activities co-ordinator will be dealing with the carepacks and staff covering reception at Christmas may be temporary and may not be aware of the initiative. We recommend you deliver on or before December 8th, 2025
Q. What do I do with my order number or reference number?
A. Nothing, it is NOT required to go on your carepack. It does not serve a purpose, you can ignore it.
CONFIRMATION OF DELIVERY
Q. How will I know if my resident liked my gift?
A. This is a giving initiative run by volunteers and we unfortunately cannot find out this information. Thank you for understanding. Please give with an open heart without expecting anything in return. You will not be notified that your carepack arrived or what your resident thought of it.
SCHOOLS & YOUTH GROUPS
Q. We are a School / Youth Group and we’d love to get involved. What do we need to do?
A. Schools / Group section is not yet opened for 2025 so all counties will show as unavailable.
Q. We are a School / Youth Group and we’d love to get involved. What do we need to do?
A. Please use our Schools / Group section. The schools section is intended for schools and youth groups who do not wish to send gifts, but would like to send cards, letters and drawings, etc. instead. Teachers or group leaders can order up to a maximum of 60 resident names per transaction. You can post individually or put all items for the one home in the one package. You take to the post office, An Post do not collect. Please be aware that residents are allocated by county and not by home, so you may get allocated several different homes.
GROUPS / CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILTY
We are no longer accepting groups as we cannot meet the demand – Thank You.
Q. We are a Group / Company and we’d love to send carepacks (gifts) as a group to a nursing home. What do we need to do?
A. We will accommodate large groups who wish to send carepacks. More information will be available once we launch.
Q. Can we hand deliver our carepacks to the residents at the care home as a group?
A. You are welcome to hand deliver carepacks to the carehome reception, please do not ask to meet the residents.
Q. Will someone collect the carepacks from us?
A. No, we do not cannot collect carepacks, but we invite you to take them to your local post office who will be happy to post them FREE for you, once each one is below 1kg. Please see our sections on posting and packaging above.
Q. As a corporate, we would like to partner with carepack.ie – how do we go about this?
A. We are happy to partner with you, however we are a voluntary organisation. We are not a registered charity and do not claim to be. We do not accept monetary donations. Please see our About page for further information.
