One day two years after World War II, Klaus Pütter, a German prisoner of war, was imprisoned in a hospital in France. A plain brown 22-pound cardboard box was delivered, which was a gift from Care (abbreviation of American Remittance Cooperation to Europe) and contained about 4, calories from Germany's nearest enemy, the United States.

There are corned beef, bacon, liver bread, margarine, lard, preserved apricots, honey, raisins, chocolate, sugar, egg powder, milk powder, coffee, flour and soap.

Although we are hungry and desperate, our first reaction is, "What's the problem? What do Americans want to do to us now? "put said,"

every day, there is only a piece of bread, cheese, cabbage soup and tea (put said, "believe me, you will never get enough")-nevertheless, German prisoners of war argued for three days about how to deal with this box.

Finally, the German army priest concluded, "Americans are different. They help people in need, no matter who and where they are.

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of CARE in 1996, the organization presented the 1962 cardboard care package to the Smithsonian National Museum of History. It contains macaroni, corn flour, instant chocolate-flavored beverage mixture and skim milk powder.

CARE is one of the largest non-religious and non-governmental organizations in the world, dedicated to international development and relief. In 1946, just after the end of World War II, an emergency food relief plan was launched. In the Berlin airlift that began in 1948, Americans bought and sent packages with food worth $1. Clothing and medicine in Berlin, West Germany, was one of the largest human-to-human rescue operations in history. After Soviet leader Stalin ordered the ground transportation of millions of residents to and from the city to be closed,

Berliners looked to the sky for help. From 1946 to 1949, CARE transported more than 658, packages there, including 2, during the air transportation.

The contents of the first batch of parcels came from surplus rations stored by the United States for its invasion of Japan. When Europeans ran out of these rations, CARE began to send packages designed by it to civilian families, which contained more meat and fat. Criticism soon followed.

French people complain that the contents are not suitable for French food. Irish people insist on replacing meat products with meat products. What the British want is juice and extra fat, not flour, because there is no shortage of flour. Then, people can send Asian parcels (beans, miso and soybean oil), Jewish food (food recognized by Jewish law), Italian and Greek food (pasta and various spices). There are baby and baby packages, and even holiday packages with canned turkey. CARE has won an enviable reputation for its reputable service. Methods include reindeer in Finland, camels in Pakistan and elephants in Sri Lanka, as well as more orthodox means of transportation.

In the late 194s, packages with toolkits and sewing machines were introduced to help people earn INE and make bees self-sufficient. In 195s, CARE sent farm tools to Europe and Asia. It also provides medical equipment and books to many developing countries. In 1966, CARE began to phase out the famous set meal at that time, although it sometimes reverted to tradition, as it did in Bosnia in the 199s.

In the 197s, it helped the municipal authorities to dig wells and improve sanitary conditions. In the 198s, it started primary health care programs, such as oral rehydration therapy for diarrhea patients. Since 199, CARE has provided family planning services in nearly 3 clinics.

since 1998, CARE has provided housing and maintenance materials, helped farmers to restore farmland productivity, and assisted Kosovo to carry out mine awareness and demining programs. CARE manages 8 refugee camps in Macedonia and accommodates 1, refugees. It has distributed 8, blankets, 4, mattresses, 11, plastic sheets, 1, stoves and 6,5 kitchens.

recently, CARE has changed its name to "cooperative", seeking help and relief all over the world, not just from the United States. Nine other industrialized countries have established nursing institutions under the leadership of the International Nursing Federation (a global movement covering 68 developing countries). The

criteria for determining the existence of nursing institutions in various countries include per capita gross national product, infant mortality rate per 1, live births, life expectancy at birth of children under one year old, nutritional status of vulnerable groups, proportion of people with access to safe drinking water, literacy rate and unemployment rate. The word "nursing bag" is a registered trademark, and the organization disapproves of its company's use. However, the nursing package has become a cultural symbol, a symbol of global generosity, and a part of the native American language. College students get "nursing bags" from home during the exam, and the children in the summer camp are immersed in the "nursing bags" of chocolate cakes sent by their mothers.

A note written on the Smithsonian package in 1962 summed it up well: "All Americans in the world hope that our efforts to share abundant food will encourage free people all over the world."

by Caroline Hughes Crowley "