Thanksgiving and Holiday Package Deadlines for NYS Prisons (2026)
, by Jahmaxx Care Packages, 5 min reading time
To get a Thanksgiving package into a New York State facility before Thursday, November 26, 2026, order by Sunday, November 15; Jahmaxx ships Thanksgiving packages the week of November 16. Packages count against the 40 lb monthly allowance in the month they arrive, so November's allowance covers Thanksgiving and December's covers Christmas and New Year's.
Short answer: to get a Thanksgiving package into a New York State correctional facility before Thursday, November 26, 2026, order by Sunday, November 15. Jahmaxx ships Thanksgiving packages the week of November 16. Packages count against the 40 lb monthly allowance in the month they arrive, so November's allowance covers Thanksgiving and December's covers Christmas and New Year's. October's allowance ends with orders placed by Thursday, October 22.
Holiday package deadlines for 2026
| What | Date | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Last order for October's allowance | Thursday, October 22 | Orders placed by this date arrive in October and use October's 40 lb, leaving all of November's for Thanksgiving. |
| Thanksgiving order deadline | Sunday, November 15 | Guarantees your package is in the Thanksgiving ship week. |
| Thanksgiving ship week | Week of Monday, November 16 | Packages leave Queens and reach every NYS facility in 2–4 business days. |
| Last-chance Thanksgiving orders | Thursday, November 19, by noon | We ship them, but we cannot promise arrival before the holiday. |
| Thanksgiving | Thursday, November 26 | |
| Christmas order deadline | Sunday, December 13 | Guarantees the Christmas ship week. |
| Christmas ship week | Week of Monday, December 14 | Arrives before Christmas Day on Friday, December 25. |
| Last-chance Christmas orders | Thursday, December 17, by noon | Shipped, but arrival before the holiday is not guaranteed. |
| New Year's | Friday, January 1 | A package arriving in late December uses December's allowance; one arriving in January uses January's. |
Why the deadline is eleven days before Thanksgiving
Three things sit between your order and the person receiving it. We pack within 12 to 36 hours of payment. UPS Ground takes 2 to 4 business days to reach a New York State facility from Queens. Then the facility's package room processes the box on its own schedule, which is fixed and does not speed up for holidays. An order that misses a receiving window waits for the next one; it does not arrive late, it arrives next week. Carrier volume also rises sharply in the second half of November. The November 15 deadline builds a week of cushion into all of that so the package is on the shelf before Thanksgiving, not in transit on the day.
How the 40 lb allowance works over the holidays
Under DOCCS Directive 4911, an incarcerated individual may receive up to three food packages per calendar month with a combined weight of 40 lb. The month is decided by the date the package is received at the facility, not the date you ordered. That has two practical consequences:
- A package ordered on October 30 that arrives November 3 counts against November, and takes that weight away from Thanksgiving.
- A package that arrives December 1 counts against December, even though it was ordered for Thanksgiving.
So the holiday plan is: order by October 22 to use October's allowance, keep November's 40 lb for Thanksgiving, and keep December's for Christmas. Our guide to using the 40 lb allowance across October, November and December walks through how to split each month.
What to order for Thanksgiving
Our Thanksgiving collection has everything for a holiday plate: oven-roasted turkey breast, ham, Patti LaBelle sweet potato pie, pumpkin and pecan pies, Stove Top stuffing, mashed potatoes, fresh collard greens, cornbread, breads and cheeses. If you'd rather not build it yourself, The Holiday Dinner Box is a complete table — turkey breast, roast beef, brisket, three boxes of stuffing, collards, four cornbreads, cheddar, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, peach cobbler, potato bread, Sazón and coffee — at about 20.6 lb, roughly half the monthly allowance, which leaves room for a second package the same month. All of our boxes list their weight as a share of the 40 lb limit. Every item we ship follows Directive 4911; our guide to what you can send in a Thanksgiving package covers the rules item by item.
Christmas and New Year's
The same logic applies in December. Order by Sunday, December 13 for the Christmas ship week of December 14, and by Thursday, December 17 at noon for a last-chance order. Because December's allowance is separate from November's, a Thanksgiving package and a Christmas package can each use a full 40 lb.
Need help building the order?
Message the list with your loved one's name, DIN and facility to WhatsApp at +1 929-394-4215, or call 718-576-3094. We put the order together with you, check the weight against the allowance, and send the invoice. Families who want to fund an account once and let their loved one order against it can set up a prepaid account. Hours, delivery times and our returns window are on the Store Information page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send two Thanksgiving packages?
Yes. The limit is three food packages per month, 40 lb combined, so two packages that together weigh 40 lb or less are fine.
Can I send food directly from home for Thanksgiving?
No. Food packages must come from a vendor; there is no holiday exception. See can you send food packages to inmates in New York.
What if something I ordered is out of stock?
Fresh inventory turns over daily. If an item is unavailable we contact you first and substitute at equal or greater value, and you are never charged the difference. Full terms are in our Substitution Policy.
Is there an extra holiday allowance?
No. Directive 4911 sets the same monthly limit in November and December as in any other month. The way to send more is to use each month's full allowance.