by KELLI FONTENOT
Published in the May/June 2010 issue of Candy & Snack TODAY
Published in the May/June 2010 issue of Candy & Snack TODAY
In a massive show of support, suppliers, retailers, individuals and volunteer organizations send out millions of care packages and cases of candy to U.S. troops each year. John Hanson, senior vice-president of marketing and communications at the United Service Organizations (USO), reveals it sent almost two million care packages in 2009.
“Chocolate and candy have been a part of the military experience for a long, long time,” he says, noting candy ties in with the overall purpose of care packages, which he says is to let troops know U.S. citizens are thinking about them and hoping for their safe return. He says the USO looks for items that stand up to the conditions in combat zones and provide a lift to soldiers both physically and mentally.
As an example, Hanson says the USO has a great partnership with the New England Confectionery Co., Inc., which introduced Red, White and You Sweethearts for soldiers’ care packages.
“We got a huge response from people when we started putting in the Necco Sweethearts,” he says, noting the organization received feedback from parents based in the U.S. who were hearing from their sons and daughters in the trenches. “And then, here in the U.S., they started seeing the retail displays of the Red, White and You Sweethearts, so it had a double effect,” he says. “People were talking back here, and it really raised the awareness of the hearts and the Red, White and You effort.”
Aimee Scott, brand manager for Sweethearts, says Necco has been a partner of the USO for the past year, sending more than 400 cases — 86,400 one-ounce boxes — of the products for use in care packages.
“The response from people and the troops has been really overwhelming,” she says. “One of my favorite letters is from a mother who writes, ‘My daughter is in the U.S. Army. I received an email today, February 27, 2009; she was hoping I could find the Necco Sweethearts shaped candy. Can you help me? She’s been in Iraq since September 2008.’”
The candies are stamped with expressions including “Miss You,” “Home Safe,” “My Hero,” and “Brave One,” Scott says.
“There’s no doubt that a brand like Sweethearts evokes some kind of emotional response,” she explains. “Everyone remembers getting a box on Valentine’s Day, so to take that moment and deliver it to someone who is so far from home, it’s amazing how a little candy that has an expression on it can make someone so happy.”
Also supporting the troops, Mars Chocolate North America donated approximately 10,000 pounds of chocolate to U.S. troops overseas in 2009, spokesperson Ryan Bowling says. Currently, the company is shipping a three-month supply of its new Pretzel M&M’s to the top 10 USO airport locations for soldiers to enjoy while they travel and await deployment overseas, he explains.
Additionally, the company provides product and financial donations to the Wounded Warrior Project, whose mission is to honor and empower wounded service people, and to the Fisher House, which provides free and low-cost lodging to veterans and their families receiving treatment at military medical centers. The M&M’s Character Vote promotion also benefits the U.S. military, with Mars donating up to $10,000 to the Fisher House.
In another USO partnership, the Wm. Wrigley Jr Co. is providing gum for the Operation USO Care Package Program, according to Jennifer Jackson-Luth, senior manager, marketing communications at Wrigley. Since 2003, Wrigley has donated more than two million packs of gum to the USO, she says.
Beyond the USO, non-profits across the country send care packages to soldiers. Treats for Troops ships to military men and women overseas and specializes in getting candy to those without access to a PX, says Jim King, of the volunteer organization. Candy is included in every box thanks to donations and support from suppliers, he says.
“We get tractor trailer loads every month from American corporations, and not a single one has asked for a tax receipt,” he confides.
The generosity of companies such as Kraft Foods Inc. and Lance, Inc. allows the organization to send items fun-size packs, which are said to be coveted because they are easy to stuff inside military gear, away from the elements.
“The great big bags of M&M’s are useless on the front lines, but the small packs are a godsend,” King says.
Reminding Soldiers Of Home
The Hershey Co. has also received letters of thanks from military groups, soldiers and their families in response to care packages containing its products, according to Anna Lingeris, public relations manager.
“We’re more than happy to support them in any way we can,” she notes. “We hope when they receive our packages, it helps them realize we really care.” For example, the company recently donated Hershey’s chocolate and Reese’s Pieces to help raise money for a man who climbed Mount Everest to benefit the Navy Seal Warrior Fund.
The company is also a sponsor for Operation Gratitude, which holds annual Halloween candy drives and collected 119,000 pounds of leftover candy to send to troops this past November, according to Carolyn Blashek, founder. “Hershey has been a huge donor to us for many years,” Blashek says.
“We do two big drives: one’s our patriotic drive in the spring and then the holiday drive in the winter. Primarily, packages are going to Afghanistan and Iraq, now more than ever, but also to ships in the Persian Gulf and a few other hostile territories."
Candy is an essential part of the care packages from a soldier’s perspective, she says.
Tom Neff, a Navy Civil Engineer Corps Officer who was stationed at Camp Fallujah and Al Asad in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, for six months, tells Candy & Snack TODAY he bought candy items from the exchange. He looked specifically for his favorite snacks, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Doritos.
“The PX at Camp Fallujah was kind of small and had a limited selection, but at Al Asad, which is a huge base, there was a much larger choice of snacks and candies,” he remembers. When serving, Neff was always glad to receive items from the U.S. He says: “When you see Hershey’s and Reese’s lining the shelves of stores in Iraq, it reminds you of home and why you are there doing the job that you are doing.”
C-stores, shopettes and service stations are included as exchanges, while commissaries do their business and give the profits to worthy causes, according to Joe Muck, former military sales manager for Lindt & Sprüngli (USA), Inc.
“The money the exchanges make goes back to the troops through the Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs,” he explains. “If a family needs assistance, the programs take care of them through the profits they make."
Jeremy Coupe, Sgt., 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, served in Iraq from 2005 to 2006 in an area where there was no stationary PX. Instead, a truck came through once a month carrying necessary items, he says. Most of the candy he consumed while serving there was sent in care packages from family members and organizations in the U.S. He notes Jolly Ranchers were his favorite.
“If it was something that I really, really liked, I’d try to hide it from my squad,” he laughs. “But for the most part, we’d share everything, because everybody would get things sporadically.”
Receiving packages from schools and organizations offering support was a humbling experience, he remembers. “I can’t count how many times I just got random packages from people I didn’t know,” Coupe adds. “It was a very odd, but awesome feeling.”
Sgt. Jason St John, with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, tells Candy & Snack TODAY that tough situations made him daydream of life’s little treats, and receiving packages from family members was a valuable pick-me-up.
“Remembering when those packages came in really evokes a smile,” St John says. “Everything was shared, making sure that all were treated to the reminder of home.”
In the field, non-chocolate candies are a favorite, says Navy Corpsman Grant Brown, currently serving in Afghanistan. “I still love Sour Patch Kids and love to eat them when they’re available, but what I’ve craved the most this deployment were hot cinnamon candies such as Atomic Fireballs, Red Hots and Hot Tamales,” Brown says.
Ferrara Pan Candy Co., Inc sends cases of Atomic Fireballs and Jaw Busters to soldiers who request candy in areas of combat, according to Lou Pagano II, vice president of market development.
“We’ve received letters back thanking us, and that’s worth more than anything,” Pagano says. “Some of them would use the Atomic Fireballs to stay awake because they’d be on patrol and some of the shifts would be 12 to 14 hours. Other people tell us they remind them of home and brought them a little peace in a place that’s not very peaceful."
“It’s to help show our appreciation for the troops, for the sacrifices that they make for our country It’s a small way that we can thank them,” Pagano says.
Using Candy To Build Bridges
In addition to candy’s popularity with troops, the impact it has on the local population is tremendous, Treats For Troops’ King explains, because soldiers offer the treats to kids who have often never tasted candy.
“We have a story of a Seal unit that was on patrol in a little village in the middle of nowhere in southern Afghanistan,” says King. “The team gave a couple of kids some candy and a Beanie Baby.”
The next day, he continues, a little girl was sitting in the middle of the road while a Humvee was waiting to get by. She was agitated and was pointing to where someone had hidden an Improvised Explosive Device.
“She was trying to warn the Seals because she didn’t want them to drive over it,” King says.
Nathan Barbanel, president of brokerage Danthan Military Distributors, Inc., agrees candy has been a bridge-builder between troops and local populations.
“When they give out candy, it is basically a tool to bridge the gap, to build friendships and relationships with the local population. It’s a very powerful tool because kids love candy,” Barbanel says. “It helps promote a more positive attitude toward our servicemen and women."
Operation Gratitude’s Blashek confirms that military men and women both eat the candy themselves and hand it out to the local residents.
“That’s really how we’re contributing to the overall mission,” she explains. “The troops in Iraq are going in and becoming part of the community, getting to know the people and developing trust, so people will want to join forces with the Americans to battle the enemy. One of the ways the troops start out in doing this is by befriending the children, which leads to conversations with the families."
Sgt. John Modzelewski, a veteran with the National Guard, says his squad occasionally handed out candy to locals while he was in Iraq in 2004.
“That was one of our favorite things to do, actually,” Modzelewski tells Candy & Snack TODAY. “It’s a good way to win their minds and hearts. Any extra candy we had, we’d give away.”
Modzelewski says he received packages from both his family and from organizations such as the USO. “Gum was really easy to get, but when you would get chocolate in the mail that actually survived the trip, it was pretty amazing. When you would get a Hershey bar, it was really cool,” he says. “It definitely boosted morale.”
Modzelewski notes he also went to the PX to stock up on Altoids and buy an average two bags per month of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Hershey’s Kisses while he was in-country. He notes locals loved anything that was American, especially chocolate.
Favorites In Combat Zones
Regarding troops’ favorites, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) stocks only its best-sellers in areas of conflict, according to Kathy Wulff, senior buyer.
“We keep the stock assortment narrow because of the logistics and storage challenge,” she adds.
In Iraq and Afghanistan, AAFES is responsible for providing soldiers with products they want and need. With the administration increasing American forces, candy buyers for AAFES will have challenges to face this year, Wulff says. “Troop surges make managing inventory challenging,” Wulff tells Candy & Snack TODAY. “We work closely with our team members in Iraq and Afghanistan to ensure we have inventory where the troops are located.” For Wulff and AAFES Buyer Randy Demster, the troop deployments mean research, strategizing, and of course, higher product volume.
AAFES shoppers spend more than $200,000 per week on candy in combat areas, Demster says. When choosing products, he says he considers market and industry trends, price point, shelf space, sales of similar products and customer needs.
“Our customers appreciate the fact that AAFES is there for them. AAFES employees in contingency areas are volunteers and conditions aren’t always the best,” Wulff says.
Soldiers want chocolate, she explains, adding it’s considered a comfort food. “Sometimes a Snickers candy bar can be a real boost for morale,” she says.
Muck says chocolate might be one of the most coveted items, but transportation issues often determine which candies make it to the trenches.
“In the field, the guys have meat snacks and confection items that don’t melt, like hard candies,” he explains.
At very high temperatures, products might not endure trips from the U.S. to Iraq and Afghanistan, says Barbanel.
“Afghanistan is landlocked, so if you ship it by ocean, now you’ve got to figure out how to ship it by land,” he says, adding that long shelf life is also important to military buyers.
One candy that stands up to such conditions are Chick-O-Sticks, which don’t break during transport and don’t melt in desert heat, claims Atkinson Candy Co. President Eric Atkinson. “It’s good, tasty, fresh quality, U.S.-made candy with flavor profiles that soldiers are used to. The tastes are such that the locals like it, too,” he notes.
Atkinson says the peanut-based products provide troops with extra protein and energy, adding that the company has received letters and photographs from soldiers appreciative of its overseas donations.
One soldier came to thank the company in person after he received a 30- pound case of candy while working in Mosul, Iraq. Atkinson tells Candy & Snack TODAY: “Anytime soldiers take time to sit down and send in a request to us, we honor them because they are out there doing the hard work. We just want to try to make their lives a little easier.”
Blashek confirms: “It’s a treat, and the sugar content certainly provides some energy boosts when they’re exhausted and tired. It also simply brings back memories of home, and that feels good when they’re so far away and separated from their loved ones.”
Looking back, Wulff says she remembers a photograph that illustrated the role candy plays in a military environment. The image, originally published in Time magazine, was sent to her by a broker for Mars years ago, she says.
“The photo, taken in Iraq, was of a soldier sitting on the back of a truck, and the truck and the soldier were covered with dirt. The only spot of bright color in that depressing situation was the red package in his hand. It was recognizable to those of us who work with candy,” Wulff says. “It was a bag of Skittles."
“A familiar piece of candy brings a taste of home,” confirms Demster. “Our customers are away from family and friends for an extended period of time and the little things like candy take on a whole new meaning.”
