For the third year in a row, students at Christopher High School in Gilroy collected leftover Halloween candy to send to American troops overseas. The campaign, called Treats for Troops, helps add candy to care packages sent to soldiers, airmen and sailors overseas. This year, the Cougars donated 309 pounds of candy, doubling last year’s goal of 150 pounds.
After the candy is collected, the Gilroy chapter of Operation Interdependence takes over. Volunteers put the candy inside care packages called civilian rations—or C-rats— and send them to troops.
Operation Interdependence is a nationwide nonprofit organization with the mission of giving community members on U.S. soil the means to support troops who might not have any of the creature comforts of home. Since 2001, Operation Interdependence has been sending care packages to troops, and has shipped 503 tons of supplies. That massive figure is due in part to the good will of CHS students who convert their Halloween candy into a slice of home for soldiers.
CHS Associated Student Body President Bridget Brown is leading the Treats for Troops campaign at Christopher High School. Brown, 18 and a senior, has worked on this project for the three years it’s been at the school.
“It’s a fun way to get the school involved in the community during Halloween time, especially because you know Halloween candy will sit in your drawer at home until Easter,” she said. “It’s a nice way to get rid of the leftovers and a great way to give back to the troops.”
Other members of Christopher High’s Community Service Commission are seniors Samantha Hernandez, 17, and Azucena Rodriguez, 18.
“This is a good project because the troops will appreciate the candy from back home,” Hernandez said.
The commission began promoting the drive at CHS the week before Halloween. Collection took place between Halloween and the final weigh in Nov. 7.
Brown, Hernandez and Rodriguez turned the Treats for Troops campaign into a project the whole class could get involved in.
“Because the drive is a class competition, we have been quite successful,” said ASB Activities Director and Community Service Coordinator Gloria Hennessy. “Our Treats for Troops drive serves the purpose of supplying our local Operation Interdependence chapter with enough sweets to include one to two candies in each care package they send to troops overseas throughout the year.”
Each of the four classes—freshmen through seniors—decorated donation barrels in the quad area during brunch and lunch from Nov. 3 to 7. The candy was collected and weighed each day, and the running totals were announced to encourage competition between the classes.
Christopher’s freshman class brought in the most sweets during that period, weighing in with a 95 pounds of candy. Juniors came in second place with 80 pounds, while sophomores came in third with 78 pounds and the school’s senior class collected 57 pounds.
Since the freshman class won the challenge, they earned “spirit points” they can redeem to get VIP seating at a special event at the end of the year.
“A Sprit Point is a really good motivator to get the students to participate,” Brown added. “Sprit Points are good for bragging rights and are redeemed at Cougar Fest, which is an end of the year celebration.”
In late January, Operation Interdependence will hold another donation drive that will include a letter writing campaign. Students are encouraged to donate toiletry items, snack items and write handwritten letters to troops serving overseas. The donated items and letters are organized into care packages at Christopher High during the school’s packing night slated for Feb. 11 in the CHS dining commons. The event is open to the public.
