Pay it Forward (Halloween Style)
Happy Halloween, Desert Mission families! This time of year is full of candy, whether you’re trick or treating, trunk or treating, or buying candy to give out. If November 1 finds your family with more than you could possibly eat, why not share some of the wealth?
In just two weeks, the Missions committee will be coordinating the packing of care packages for troops with a connection to our church, whether they’re members themselves or related in some way to one of our members. They’d love to include some of your family’s excess candy in the care packages, and we’re sure the troops receiving them would love to have some yummy Halloween treats as well! All you have to do to contribute is bring your donation to the church and leave it in the narthex, in the bin marked “For Our Arizona Troops” (if you’d like to help pack the care packages, you are cordially invited to come to church on November 14 and stick around after the second service!).
We know there are still many families connecting with us from afar; if you are not currently in the vicinity of the church, but would like to use your excess candy for good, check out Operation Gratitude. They organize a yearly candy give-back program that distributes candy to military, veterans, and first responders, and offer donors the option of delivering directly to heroes in their area, bringing donations to their Candy Processing Center (CPC) in California, or shipping them to the CPC. Please note that all candy must be store-bought and individually wrapped, and that donations must be received by November 15th.
If your family has somehow made it through the month of October without accumulating any candy, but would still like to help Operation Gratitude spread Halloween cheer (not necessarily a word we think of for this particular holiday, but “Halloween fear” doesn’t quite feel right either), you can also make a monetary donation to help defray the costs of shipping the candy to all of the places it needs to go.
We’d love to see pictures of your family’s Halloween fun – share with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. And as the decorations come down and the costumes get put away, consider sharing some of your Halloween bounty with others. It’ll do your heart good, and your stomach will probably feel better as well!
