Camp Fire USA Heart of OK Council Delivers Candy to Ft. Hood

NATIONAL YOUTH ORGANIZATION GIVES SWEET DONATION TO SOLDIERS
Camp Fire USA Heart of Oklahoma Council Delivers Record Amount of Chocolate to the USO Ft. Hood

Camp Fire USA Heart of Oklahoma Council will be delivering approximately 4,300 boxes of donated candy to the USO Ft. Hood, Texas this Friday, June 5. The donation marks the eighth year that the Heart of Oklahoma Council has joined with the USO Ft. Hood to send Camp Fire candy to the troops.

Ft. Hood is one of the major points of deployment for most branches of the military. The USO Ft. Hood provides valuable services to the men and women who defend our country, including coordinating care packages that are given before they are deployed, while they are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and when they return home.

“I think it’s phenomenal when an organization sees all the sacrifices that our soldiers make,” said Robin Crouse, director of the USO at Ft. Hood. “When we demonstrate our support for America’s heroes – that’s a big deal.”

The first 1,900 boxes of the candy will be placed in the barracks room of single soldiers with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, who are returning to Ft. Hood after a year of being in Afghanistan.

“Most of these soldiers haven’t had chocolate in 12 months, so this will be a real treat for them,” said Crouse.

The majority of the candy being delivered to the USO was donated by the public through direct sales as well as donated by corporate sponsors who purchased cases in bulk for this purpose. The Heart of Oklahoma Council added to the donation by deciding to send the rest of the candy not sold in this year’s sale.

“I can think of nothing more important than to make sure the men and women who protect and serve our nation know how much we appreciate the sacrifices they make for us all on a daily basis,” said Kim Kamp-Leslie, executive director/CEO for the Heart of Oklahoma Council.

Last week, the organization donated nearly 1,800 boxes of candy to the Airman & Family Readiness Center at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City. Some of the candy was distributed immediately at a deployment dinner for service men and women and their families.

“Candy is always a great morale boost,” said Amber Renteria-Hulme, community readiness technician for the Airman & Family Readiness Center and former Camp Fire member. “Camp Fire has always strived to help the community, and reaching out to our troops in this way only reiterates their support.”

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