Treats for Troops Frequently Asked Questions
Below we have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the annual Treats for Troops collection. If you don’t see an answer to your question below, please feel free to [email protected] or give us a call: 210-629-0020.
Click on each question to display the answer.
A: Yes. By completing the application to become a registered collection site, you are agreeing that you will pay for any and all expenses related to the shipping or delivery of the candy that you collect. Soldiers’ Angels is not responsible for shipping costs, will not reimburse shipping costs, and will not accept any deliveries sent as COD (cash on delivery). You must cover the cost of shipping the candy to the address you select from the Soldiers’ Angels database via your online profile.
If recipient locations are available near you, you may be able to deliver the candy, but you must make arrangements with that recipient. Their contact information will be available AFTER you select an opportunity that you want to pledge your candy to. Some bases cannot accept individual deliveries due to base security and protocols and some units only work on drill weekends, so be prepared to ship your candy to your selected locations! We will not facilitate delivery! If it cannot be arranged between you and the recipient, you will have to ship it!
We understand that candy can be heavy… which means that shipping expenses can be costly. In order to avoid paying more than anticipated for shipping, we suggest that you have a shipping budget in mind before you agree to become a collection site. You are able to choose a recipient to pledge candy to based on location, so please plan to pledge soon after pledging opens on October 1st. Once a location has met it’s pledge, it will no longer be available to choose.
Be sure you research how many pounds of candy you can ship within your budget. Here are some suggestions to keep shipping costs low:
- Ship candy in larger boxes, but no more than 40 pounds each. It is probable that it would be more cost-efficient to ship a lot of candy in one large box vs. shipping several small boxes.
- Don’t rely on shipping in “Flat Rate” boxes. Try different options that may include using a larger box and not a flat rate.
- Shop around. Rates have a lot to do with your location and where you are shipping. We recommend getting quotes from all available shipping stores (USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.).
A: The purpose of the Treats for Troops campaign is to collect excess Halloween candy. With that in mind, your collection must finish after Halloween is over.
Typically, most collection sites host their collections starting on November 1st. Every site ends their collection on a different day, so please check our website for specific details of each site. All candy should be shipped by December 12th, 2025.
If you are just interested in donating your own personal supply of new candy not collecting or buying back the excess candy from children, then you do not need to register to be a collection site. Instead, you can search for another collection site to drop off candy using our online system.
A: If you are planning on collecting candy, it is very important that you register yourself as a collection site— especially if you are collecting from a large group like a scout group/club/school/organization! Most registered collection sites will not accept candy from groups, only individuals, because they will incur the cost of shipping or delivery of the candy.
If it’s still before October 31, then your site still has time to register as a collection site by clicking here. Please note that Soldiers’ Angels reserves the right to close registration early if the maximum amount of pledged candy is reached. If it is past October 31st, registration has been closed and Soldiers’ Angels will not be able to accept your candy.
A: The Soldiers’ Angels office is a registered collection site to collect candy from individuals. If you are a family wanting to donate your children’s candy, we will have a collection box in our front lobby. Please refer to the Candy Map for the dates and times for drop off at our location. However, if you are a collection site, or have not registered to be a collection site but have more than a reasonable amount of candy (10 pounds or more), you will need to register as a collection site and will be responsible for shipping your candy/delivering your candy to the recipient location you choose. We cannot accept large candy donations at our location, unless the Soldiers’ Angels office is the recipient location you selected in the portal.
A: It depends on the recipient location you chose. Some will allow local delivery, and some will not (depending on their work hours, base security protocols, security concerns, etc.). Once you have pledged your candy to a recipient, their contact information will be available in your “My Volunteering” tab. Please reach out to the recipient directly to arrange delivery of your candy. Keep in mind that no all locations can accept in-person delivery. You should always be prepared to ship your candy. If local delivery works, that is great—but do not expect it!
A. No. We do not pick up candy in any location nor do any of the recipient locations in our database! Please do not ask us or them to pick up candy from you or meet you to pick up candy! You must be prepared in advance to ship the candy!
A: Absolutely! If you donated to an official Soldiers’ Angels Treats for Troops collection site, please click here and fill out this form in order to get a receipt for your donation. You will need to know the number of pounds of candy you donated, so be sure to weigh your candy first or fill in your best guestimate!
A: If you collected a small amount of candy (less than 10 pounds), it should be no problem to drop off your collection at a collection site. However, please be considerate of our collection sites and contact them to ensure they are able to accept your candy!!!! Many of our collection sites are dental offices, schools, churches, etc. They are only anticipating that they will collect small amounts of candy from individuals and families—not hundreds of pounds of candy from a large group of people. They will be using their own time and money to pay for the packing and shipping of the candy. If they get a large amount of candy donated at one time, it may cause them to spend a lot more money than they anticipated. Collection sites may cut their collection short and/or decline to take candy from anyone at any time.
If you collect any more than 10 pounds, please reach out to us, but if registration is open, please register! Email us here or call us at 210-629-0020.
A: Please notify us ASAP by calling 210-629-0020. Let us know that you are at capacity and we will take your location off our searchable collection site map. We also recommend that you post your own notifications on your social media channels and website notifying local individuals that you are full. As a collection site, you may cut your collection dates short and/or decline to take candy if you have reached your candy capacity.
A: Yes, you can include chocolate. No, it does not need to be separated.
A: If you exceed your pledged collection weight by more than 10% and/or wish to palletize your shipment of candy, you must contact Soldiers’ Angels in advance of sending your shipment by calling 210-629-0020. An overage or a palletized shipment may impact your ship-to address.
A: Individuals and families who wish to participate as a collection site can register as a PRIVATE site—which means you will not take the extra step of listing your site on the Cany Map. For the safety of you, your family, and your home, please ensure that you elect to be a private collection site. We will not display home addresses on our searchable map.
A: Definitely! Simply skip the extra step of listing your collection site on the Candy Map. If you decide to list your site on the Cany Map and find that your are getting too many donations, feel free to email us or call us and we can remove he public facing listing.
A: Just a few! But they are pretty easy:
- Individually wrapped candy is preferred, but we will accept unopened small bags of loose candy such as candy corn, jelly beans, etc.
- NO homemade or handmade candy.
- NO baked goods, homemade or store-bought
- YES we take chocolate and it does not need to be separated
A: Yes, but nothing major:
- Please ship candy in boxes weighing no more than 40 pounds
- Please mark your box(es) “Soldiers’ Angels Treats for Troops,” and make sure your name is visible.
If you are hand delivering your candy, please bring it in a container that you are ok donating with the candy. Recipients do not have large candy receptacles and will need the candy to stay in the boxes you transport it in.
A: For the safety and security of our Service Member and Veterans, all volunteers must go through a verification in order to pick up opportunities. During the volunteer registration process this can be done in one of two ways:
- You can donate any amount to Soldiers’ Angels, starting from $1. Once processed, your donation will verify you identity and grant immediate access to the portal for selecting and participating in opportunities.
- If you prefer not to make a donation, you can get verified through Verified First, at no cost to you. They will email you a form requiring your date of birth and Social Security Number, which is used solely for verification purposes. Soldiers’ Angels never sees this information. Once verified, you’ll gain access to the volunteer portal immediately, but may need to wait 24-72 hours to see opportunities and participate. This process grants access to most virtual and many in-person opportunities, through some in-person roles may require additional checks, which will be noted in the volunteer information.
A: For the safety and security of our Service Member and Veterans, all volunteers must go through a verification in order to pick up opportunities. During the volunteer registration process this can be done in one of two ways:
- A. Most importantly, if you don’t report the support you provide, we won’t know if the request is being fulfilled until it’s too late. For instance, if all 300 pounds of candy for an active duty installation are marked as assigned, that opportunity will be closed to others. However, if the volunteers who committed to those 300 pounds of candy don’t report their support after shipping, we won’t know the actual number of pounds of candy heading to that installation. Timely re-porting ensures we can accurately track and meet the needs of our heroes. Additionally, accurate reporting benefits Soldiers’ Angels as a whole. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on the generous donations, both monetary and in-kind, from our amazing supporters. If you don’t report the items you donated in our system, we can’t acknowledge your contribution or provide you with a tax receipt, now or during tax season. Your timely reporting ensures we can recognize your generosity and offer the necessary documentation for your records.