If you have an abundance of Halloween candy and you would like to avoid extra dental visits for your kids, consider donating the candy to a good cause by sending it to Operation Gratitude.
Operation Gratitude creates care packages for the U.S. Military and each care package includes donated Halloween candy from dentists, businesses, groups and individuals. If you are interested in shipping your extra candy directly to Operation Gratitude, keep in mind the following Do’s and Don’ts from the Operation Gratitude webpage before shipping your package.
DO’s:
- DO fill out the Donation Form and include the number of pounds of candy, number of toothbrushes, etc., you are shipping.
- DO include a printed Donation Form in every box you send to us.
- DO line your boxes with big plastic bags to safely ship loose candy, or place the candy into zipper bags.
- DO include donations of individually-packaged toothbrushes, dental floss, and toothpaste.
- DO ship your candy no later than November 15 to:
Operation Gratitude
Attn: Halloween Candy Program
21100 Lassen Street
Chatsworth, CA 91311-4278
DONT’S:
- DON’T purchase candy at the 1/2-off sales after Halloween. Only send your extra/leftover candy. Please consider making a financial donation instead of purchasing more candy.
- DON’T use boxes larger than 24″x24″x20″.
- DON’T send Pixy Stix (or other powdery candy). They make a mess of the Care Packages.
- DON’T sort your candy. We want to make sure our Troops and First Responders get a variety of treats in each Care Package.
There are many other items needed for the military care packages. A complete list can be found here or you can shop the Operation Gratitude Amazon Wish list here.
Thank you for supporting our troops!