PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Anyone with extra candy, whether it was not distributed to kids or your kids collected more than they could eat, has a chance to give active soldiers and veterans a sweet treat.
Anytime Fitness, which has facilities in Germantown Hills and Peoria, has teamed up with the non-profit, Soldiers’ Angels, to act as an official drop-off site for the Treats for Troops program.
From Nov. 1 to 7, anyone with excess Halloween candy in Peoria can bring it to Anytime Fitness. Soldiers’ Angels will then ship it to soldiers overseas and distribute it to VA hospitals across the U.S.
“As we move closer to Veteran’s Day, we’d love to take the time to honor past and current members of the military,” Anytime Fitness General Manager Amber Parkinson stated. “You play a vital role in allowing us to continually practice our freedoms! May you feel loved, Honored and cared for by this small gesture of appreciation.”
Amy Palmer, who heads Soldiers’ Angels, said the program is great for the morale of soldiers and veterans.
“Receiving care packages from home is a wonderful and unexpected surprise,” she said. “The joy these service members get from opening a package of treats from home is immense and has a profound impact on their morale.
“The same can be said for veteran patients in VA Hospitals. Some patients have no family or regular visitors. When our Angel volunteers come in with treats like candy, the spirits of these patients are immediately lifted,” Palmer said.
Anytime Fitness is open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 513 N. Jubilee Lane, Germantown Hills and 1320 W. Commerce Drive, Peoria.
More information on Treats for Troops, or how to register your business as a drop-off location, is available here.
