The phrase "CARE package" is part of the English language. The organization behind it, CARE, was born from surplus military rations and the determination to feed a starving continent.
Surplus Rations, Starving Families
In 1945, Arthur Ringland and Dr. Lincoln Clark approached 22 American charitable organizations with an idea: create a cooperative nonprofit to send food packages to post-war Europe. Clark's wife Alice suggested the name: Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe.
The U.S. military had stockpiled massive supplies for the planned invasion of Japan. When atomic bombs ended the war, nearly three million surplus rations became available. CARE acquired them and began selling them to Americans who could send them to specific individuals in Europe. The first 15,000 CARE Packages shipped from Philadelphia in April 1946 and arrived in Le Havre, France on May 11.
From Packages to Programs
What began as food relief evolved into one of the world's leading humanitarian organizations. CARE shifted from emergency packages to long-term poverty solutions, women's empowerment, and community-based development. The organization now works in over 100 countries.
In fiscal year 2024, CARE reached 21.9 million people. Between 2015 and 2025, it contributed to change for 243 million people across 91 countries, far surpassing the original vision of food parcels to Europe.
Learn more on our CARE page.
