1. You DO NOT need to separate chocolate from non-chocolate candy anymore.
2. Find a Candy Collection: To learn if there is a dentist, business, school or club near you collecting candy for Operation Gratitude, check this list.
We are really excited about Halloween! Are you getting ready for another great year of collecting and donating sweet treats to the deployed troops and first responders?
If you represent a school, club, company, dentist or group that would like to host a candy collection drive, sign up here!
Please read these important and helpful “Do’s and Don’ts”!
DO’s:
- DO ship your candy NO LATER THAN November 15 to:
Operation Gratitude
21100 Lassen Street
Chatsworth, CA 91311
Attn: Angel Cuevas/Receiving (818)469-0448
- DO line your boxes with big bags to safely ship loose candy, or place the candy into zip-close bags.
- DO include donations of individually-packaged toothbrushes, dental floss and toothpaste — we need to keep smiles on the troops’ faces all shiny, bright and healthy!
- DO fill out the Donation Form and include the number of pounds of candy, number of toothbrushes, etc., you are shipping. This donation form is a downloadable PDF file, so even if you don’t see a window pop up, a file has been downloaded.
- DO include a Donation Form in every box or carton you send to us and note the total number of packages you are sending to us on each form.
DON’Ts:
- DON’T ship the candy to any other Operation Gratitude address than the Lassen Street address.
- DON’T purchase candy for us at the 1/2-off sales after Halloween — just send us your extra/leftover candy and please consider making a financial donation instead.
- DON’T use boxes any larger than 24″x 24″x 20,” please.
- DON’T send Pixy Stix (or other powdery candy) – unfortunately, 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.
We encourage everyone to write letters/cards to the troops that we can include with the candy in our care packages: Letter Writing Flyer
(Thank you for understanding that we cannot pay for shipping your donations to our facility, as we need every penny of our funds to pay shipping costs on the care packages to the troops: $15/package.)
SHIPPING INFORMATION:
Fill out and include a Donation Form in every package you send in order to receive an acknowledgment. Please indicate the total number of pounds of candy and the number of toothbrushes, etc., you are shipping on the form.
Please ship or deliver your donations by NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 15 to: Operation Gratitude
21100 Lassen Street
Chatsworth, CA 91311
(818)469-0448
IMPORTANT: Donations sent to any other Operation Gratitude address will not be acknowledged.
If you want confirmation of delivery on your shipment to us prior to receipt of our acknowledgment letter (allow up to 12 weeks), please use the tracking system provided by your shipper.
IN-PERSON DELIVERY: We will accept item and letter donations during our Volunteer Hours of Operation. Financial donations are welcome and may be made online or sent by mail.
Again, please deliver your donations by no later than mid-November to ensure we can get them into our care packages this year and none of the candy goes to waste!
Check out the creative flyers folks shared with us in previous years: Halloween Flyers
EVERYONE: If you would like to receive posters, the Operation Gratitude logo and other helpful materials, please fill out the information here.
Find a Candy Collection: To learn if there is a dentist, business, school or club near you collecting candy for Operation Gratitude, check this list.
Looking for additional ways to support the troops? Check out our “Wish List” and consider making donations of:
SOCIAL MEDIA:
We hope you will “like” the Halloween Candy Give-Back page and the Operation Gratitude Facebook page if you haven’t already! Look for news, updates, helpful tips and other information there — checking those pages will be a good way to stay up on what’s happening.
QUESTIONS?
Send us an email: Info@OperationGratitude.com
Thank you for your support!
P.S. Did you catch the shout out to Operation Gratitude on Jimmy Kimmel Live?
Thank you, Jimmy Kimmel!
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who do we make a check out to for a financial donation?
Thanks for your support, Melissa — checks may be made payable to Operation Gratitude. Info here: https://www.operationgratitude.com/donate/by-mail/
My office has collected a couple of pounds of candy and we are still receiving more. Is it ok to ship the candy past the November 15 deadline?
Since Nov. 15 is a Sunday this year, if you ship on Monday the 16th, that should be fine. Thank you!
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HI there…I am writing from St Rose Grammar School in Belmar, NJ from the PTA for Community Outreach. We collected candy over the last week and would love to send it to you. I see the form on here is set up as if you hadn’t collected yet. Should I just fill it in with the dates that I collected and submit and just be sure to get you the candy before the date you list? Thank you! Parents and children embraced it and we will separate it and package to get out to you.
Yes, Janine, that’s totally fine. Thank you very much!
Reblogged this on See Becca Try to Tri and commented:
Purge your Halloween candy!
Are Tootsie Rolls to be treated as chocolate or not?
No — Tootsie Rolls don’t need to be considered chocolate. Thanks for asking!
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Can I include cards made by children to go along with the Halloween candy inside the same box with the candy or do I have to send them separately? Thank you.
Yes — you can include cards, too. Thank you for your support!
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Is there any way another organization might share their flyer in a format we can plug in our school’s information? I dont have someone helping who is savvy enough to make a new one! Thanks!
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Do you have to physically receive it by November 15th or can it be shipped by that date? I just discovered the Halloween Candy part of your wonderful charity and have it bagged up but I won’t get it shipped until today or tomorrow and I’m sending it from Indiana. Thanks so much!
Thank you, Denise! We are grateful for your support. We made November 15 the cut-off date to allow us time to sort and distribute all the candy we receive. Perhaps you can find a local troop support organization, VA clinic or veterans retirement home that would like to receive your donations?
I will definitely look into that and remember you all for next year and send it earlier! Thanks so much for the reply!
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Sending thanks, prayers and gratitude for all you do to keep all of us safe.
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How do you screen the candy to make sure it’s safe before you send it to the troops?
I love the idea, hopefully you’ve got this all figured out.
Thanks for your support! In the same way parents check over the candy their kids bring home from trick-or-treating, we make sure the candy we receive is OK to send on to the troops. Anything questionable is tossed out.
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Can I drop it off in person?
Absolutely! Here’s the info you’ll need: https://opgrat.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/operation-gratitude-donation-shipping-info/ Thank you!
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please dont take this the wrong way. email me. I would just like some reassurance this is going to our troops. Thanks so much
Yes, our charity and all donations support our Military troops and veterans — over 1.1 Million Care Packages sent since 2003. Please visit our website to learn more.
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Reblogged this on Mama Likes To Read.
Reblogged this on eileengriffin.
Seen your name on jimmy kimmel last night and was very excited to see you guys do this for the troops. I have two boys that absolutely look up to these awesome Men and Women serving our country. Is there a link showing me the items they are looking for and the most popular items that our soldiers look forward to.
Thank you very much, Amanda! Yes — we have a full “wish list” posted on our website and Amazon.com. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/OpGratWishList
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Hi!
Together with my sons Cub Scout Pack 11 we are donating our candy from Halloween to your organization. I have printed out the donation form and have boxes ready to go. So excited to be helping out our Troops overseas who are helping us everyday, God Bless, keep up the extraordinary work!
Thank you — and all of Cub Scout Pack 11 — for your kind support!
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My daughter is 7 yrs old.She would like to donate some of her own candy that she received trick or treating so it’s not a whole lot. Can we send enough for 1 or 2 soldiers or are you accepting only larger donations.
What a sweet daughter you have! We welcome donations of all sizes. Thank you!
“DON’T buy candy at the 1/2-off sales the day after Halloween.” Why not?
What we mean is, don’t buy it for us — we would prefer you save your money to use on other things! If you want to spend $$ to purchase donations for us, we have a full “wish list” of other needed items besides candy: http://www.operationgratitude.com/get-involved/wishlist/ THANK YOU for your support!
Thanks for clarifying that.
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Our school is looking at collecting as part of our Veteran’s Day/Week celebration, which would include our parent teacher conferences, but our conferences are Nov. 13/14, so we wouldn’t get the candy to you by Nov. 15, but be shipping it Nov. 15. Will that work? Thanks!
That will be fine, Caryn. Thank you for your support!
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I plan on doing a drive but the cost of sending over the package is very expensive is there any way to get around the shipping costs because I would really like to send over donations of candy?
Thanks for your support, Megan. We have some ideas and cost-saving tips posted here: http://bit.ly/OpGratDonationInfo (More questions? Please send an email to Info@OperationGratitude.com)
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Is there an official flyer/ handout? Id like to print some out and leave it at local shops, at work and to paste on my trick o treat bag. Maybe pass some out while we are walking around
Search the database to find a participating dentist near you and see if they have flyers to share: http://www.halloweencandybuyback.com Thank you for your support!
Do you prefer non-chocolate candy in case of melting?
Through November 15, we can accept ALL types of Halloween candy, including chocolate.
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Do we follow the same directions as the dentist offices when sending our candy & cards?
Yes — thank you! If you have more questions, please send an email to info@operationgratitude.com
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Reblogged this on Momisms – My Moments in Motherhood and commented:
If anyone is looking for a summer project, this is a great way to keep busy, empty your candy stash and support the troops! All in all a great idea!