Halloween is just around the corner, and with it comes an influx of sugary treats, whether leftover from stocking up for your trick-or-treaters, brought home by your kids, or even filling the break room in your office. If you’re looking for a worthwhile cause and use for all those excess sweets, you should consider the Treats for Troops program.

Donate to Treats for Troops

Sponsored by the non-profit organization, Soldiers’ Angels, Treats for Troops facilitates the collection and shipping of Halloween candy to deployed service members around the world. Additionally, volunteers hand out the donated candy to veterans in VA hospitals across the country.

This year, the program has the goal of collecting 17,000 pounds of candy to redistribute as a special treat for service members and veterans.

To find a drop off site for your excess candy, you can search by zip code or via the online map, or – if there is no location near you – you can call (210) 629-0020 for a shipping address. Your donations are tax deductible and you can request a receipt online from Soldier’s Angels.

Soldiers’ Angels partners with local businesses that act as collection locations and provide small “buyback” prizes (like coloring books, healthy snacks and toothbrushes). The businesses then ship the candy to a designated site for redistribution. If you are a business owner and would like to serve in this capacity, you can register online. Your business will then be included on a national, interactive map of donation locations and you will receive your shipping information once approved. You’ll also receive a collection of marketing materials and a press release to promote your participation in the program.

Based out of San Antonio, TX, Soldiers’ Angels operates numerous programs aimed at helping deployed service members, veterans, wounded warriors and their families. One of its main outreach programs is its Holiday Community Partners program, where volunteers provide cards, letters and stockings to troops and veterans during the holidays. The organization also facilitates the Soldiers' Angels Adopt-A-Family program where community members and businesses can sponsor a military family to help with holiday meals and gifts.

In 2016, the organization:

• Adopted 1,056 military families through its seasonal Adopt-A-Family program
• Donated 2,000 baby shower items to new and expectant mothers in military families
• Handed out over 42,000 items bedside to patients in VA hospitals
• Provided food assistance to more than 10,133 veterans
• Provided $15 million in aid to more than 360,000 recipients
• Sent 24,350 care packages and 148,984 letters to deployed service members

You can learn more about the organization’s various ways to help veterans through their volunteer and donation overview page.

Written by Megan Hammons