INTK: Insights into an unopened, historical CARE package made possible
One of the last remaining original, sealed CARE Packages® from post-war Austria recently caught the attention of CARE Austria and the Institute of Natural Sciences and Technology in the Arts (INTK). The package is a historical artifact, and opening it would destroy its authenticity and history. Experts from INTK were nevertheless able to take a look inside.
The X-ray images show the outline of this genuine time capsule – various containers are clearly visible. The CARE packages contained items such as rice, flour, canned meat and vegetables, coffee, powdered eggs, sugar, dried fruit, margarine, and powdered milk. Some packages also included blankets, children's clothing, tools, and school supplies.
Why the package was ultimately never opened is unknown. However, packages were often kept as an "emergency reserve" for even worse times.
On November 27, 1945, the aid organization CARE was officially founded. The acronym stands for Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe. Exactly 80 years ago, the first food parcels reached the devastated post-war Austria. The first ten CARE packages were received by then-Federal President Karl Renner; they had been personally donated to Austria by former US President Harry Truman. According to CARE, around one million packages with a total value of 9.9 million US dollars (around 8.65 million euros) arrived in Austria by 1955.