Willow Glen Resident
Education
Booksin families donate 1,000 pounds of candy to U.S. troops
By Mayra Flores De Marcotte
Booksin Elementary students showed their sweet side by donating more than 1,000 pounds of Halloween candy to U.S. troops overseas.
"Candy was coming in by the gobs," says second-grade teacher Pam Blodgett.
The school held a two-week candy drive, collecting Halloween treats children and adults gave up for the troops to enjoy through Operation Care & Comfort, an organization that Willow Glen resident Julie DeMaria started.
DeMaria began sending care packages in March 2003 under a project she named Operation Yellow Ribbon. As the donations and community interest grew, the American Red Cross Santa Clara Valley chapter adopted the program, and it became Operation Care and Comfort.
The candy drive was part of the organization's Trick-Or-Treat for the Troops.
"It was amazing," says fifth-grade teacher Ann Braunstein.
The candy collection was her response to all the Halloween sweets.
"You throw things out like that, and from the faculty to the kids, everyone embraced it," Braunstein says.
She had heard DeMaria on the radio announcing the organization's Trick-Or-Treat for the Troops and thought a candy drive would benefit both the troops and the students.
"Every month, we have a life skill that the students try to reach," she says. "The month of October just happened to be the caring month."
Braunstein says her favorite moment of the two-week candy drive was when two kindergartners came up to the donation boxes with their bags of candy and dropped them in and skipped away.
"This was the embodiment of what it's all about," she says. "It's moments like this that you say to yourself, 'Yay, they're getting it.' "
DeMaria was blown away by the response from the elementary school as well.
"They did such a good job," she says. "It was so much candy."
DeMaria began Trick-Or-Treat for the Troops three years ago as a way to give troops overseas something sweet to look forward to.
"Most of the troops haven't had chocolate all year because it's so hot [the candy will melt]," she says.
Every year, along with local schools, churches and even health clubs donate candy to the drive. This year, however, the candy drive really took off, DeMaria says.
She has collected more than 3,000 pounds of candy so far and sent out the first round of packages Nov. 18.
"Think about it," she says. "The kids are giving up their candy."
Care and Comfort holds package assembly events monthly at the American Legion Post 318, 1504 Minnesota Ave., around 10 a.m. Children 5 and older are welcome. For more information, visit www.careandcomfort.com. or contact Julie DeMaria at 408.373.8635 or troopsupport@ comcast.net.
