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 us or give us a call: 210-629-0020.
Q: If I am a registered collection site, am I responsible for the cost of shipping?
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 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 are assigned by Soldiers’ Angels at the time of registration.
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. Be sure you research how many pounds of candy you can ship within that budget. Here are some suggestions to keep shipping costs low:
- Ship candy in large boxes. It is possible 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.
Q: I am located in San Antonio (or close to San Antonio). Can I drop off my collected candy to your office?
A: Absolutely! Our office also serves as a collection site and our collection hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm CST. If you are dropping off more than 300 pounds, we do ask that you call ahead of coming in order for us to ensure we have space in the warehouse to accept your donation.
Q: I am located near the address you gave me to ship my candy. Can I drop off my collected candy at the address of the Soldiers’ Angels representative?
A: No. With the exception of Soldiers’ Angels HQ in San Antonio, candy must be shipped to the address provided to you.
Q: Do you pick up candy?
A. No. We do not pick up candy in any location. We have a small staff and do not have the capacity to have our staff driving to pick up candy in San Antonio or any other location where we have Soldiers’ Angels representatives.
Q: My company/group/organization collected candy, but we weren’t registered as a collection site. We collected more than we thought– should I drop it off at a collection site?
A: If you collected a small amount of candy (less than a full box), 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.
If you collect any more than a reasonable amount, please reach out to us. We can provide you with a shipping address where you can ship the candy. Email us here or call us at 210-629-0020.
Q: Can I donate chocolate? Should it be separated?
A: Yes, you can include chocolate. No, it does not need to be separated.
Q: Are there any other candy collection guidelines?
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
Q: If I register as a collection site, when should I host my collection dates?
A: The purpose of the Treats for Troops campaign is to collect excess Halloween candy. With that in mind, your collection must either start or finish after Halloween is over. If you are just interested in donating 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 that was collected before 10/31.
Typically, most collection sites host their collections starting on November 1st and running through the first weeks of November.
Q: My Scout Group/Club/School/Organization would like to collect candy but we didn’t register as a collection site. What should we do?
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! It will be very easy for groups to collect a lot of candy and each collection site is responsible for the cost of shipping that candy to a designated address once their collection is over. SO— if you collect 300 lbs. of candy and drop it off at one of our registered collection sites, that site is responsible for the cost of shipping that 300 lbs. of candy plus whatever else they collect!!
If it’s still before October 31, then your site still has time to register as a collection site by clicking here. If it’s after October 31, please contact one of the collection sites near you directly in order to see if they can accept a large donation of candy from you.
Q. I donated candy at one of the collection sites listed on the Soldiers’ Angels Treats for Troops Candy Map. Can I get a receipt for my donation?
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!
Please note, not all official collection sites are listed on the Candy Map. The Candy Map only displays the locations open to the general public. If your company, school, or organization is collecting candy privately and not listed on the map, you can also submit the form for a receipt. The location you list on the form must be a location that is registered with us as an official collection site in our database, regardless if it is listed on the map or not.
Q: If I approach the limit of the amount of candy I am able to collect in order to afford all shipping costs, what do I do?
A: Please notify us ASAP by calling 210-629-0020. Let us know that you are at capacity and we will pull your location off of our searchable collection site map. We also recommend that you post out your own notification on your social channels or website notifying local individuals that you are full.
Q: I collected more candy than anticipated, but can still afford to ship it to you, what do I do? Can I ship it on a pallet?
A: If you exceed your projected 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.
Q: Tell me about the In-Kind Donation Form.
A: The In-Kind Donation form helps us keep track of what donations come from where. It is extremely helpful if you fill out the In-Kind Donation form before sending your candy and include the completed form in your shipment. Here are some tips:
- Fill out the In-Kind Donation Form that you can find here. We will also include the link when your registration has been approved.
- We use a standard value of $8 per lb. for candy. If you are unsure of how to value your candy donation, please use this valuation.
- Please fill out the information with the same information you used to register your business as a collection site– same business name, same point of contact, same address, same email.
- Please also fill out your shipping information with the same information you used to register your business as a collection site.
- You will receive an email confirmation after this form has been submitted. **Please print and sign the email and include it in your box that you will be shipping**
- If you are shipping more than one box, you only need to print the confirmation email one time.
Q: I am an individual and I would like to host a collection site at my home. Is that okay?
A: No. Registration to be a collection site is only open to businesses. For the safety of you and your home, we would not want to list your home address on our searchable website map for anyone to see and come to your home. For the safety of those donating candy, we want to ensure they are only dropping off to valid addresses of a business that has business hours.
Q: I work for a company that would like to host a candy collection, but we only want the collection to be for our employees. Can we register but not be listed on the searchable map?
A: Definitely! When you register as a drop-off site you will be prompted as to whether you would like this to be a private or public collection. To keep your location off the map, please select private. If you do select public and find that you are getting too many donations, feel free to email us or call us and we can change your listing from public to private.