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By Tucker Harris | Published on November 5, 2021

Every year, millions of pounds of candy end up in the trash after Halloween. From over-buying to kids collecting more than they can eat while trick-or-treating, candy is wasted across the country. This year, the Lone Peak High School Interact Club is participating in a program that will help the community produce less waste after Halloween while also showing support for service members and veterans.

Soldiers’ Angels, a national 501(c)3 nonprofit, hosts an annual collection drive for excess Halloween candy. The organization ships the candy to deployed service members around the world for a sweet treat from home. Soldiers’ Angles also utilize their “Angel” volunteers to distribute candy to veterans of all eras in VA hospitals across the country.

All students and families can donate whether they attend LPHS or not. Once the collection drive is over, the LPHS Interact Club will donate all collected candy to Soldiers’ Angels where it will be packaged and shipped or distributed in VA Hospitals.

“Receiving care packages from home is a wonderful and unexpected surprise,” said Amy Palmer, president and CEO of Soldiers’ Angels. “The joy these service members get from opening a package of treats from home is immense and has a profound impact on their morale… When our Angel volunteers come in with treats like candy, the spirits of these patients are immediately lifted.”

The collection drive will run from Nov. 1 to Nov. 12, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Stop by the school to drop off your candy: 45465 Gallatin Rd, Gallatin Gateway, Montana, 59716 at the high school and the elementary school.

For more information on the program, please contact John Chadwell at [email protected] or if you are interested in registering your business as a drop-off site, visit: www.SoldiersAngels.org/TreatsForTroops.

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