1. ISSUE 8 August 2013 VOLUME 4
DISCLAIMER
Please note: The Defense CommissaryAgency
does not and cannot endorseany product
mentioned in this newsletter; any product
mentioned is for informational purposes only.
WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME
Commissaries offer 'Back to
School' savings
Commissaries are offering significant
savings on "Back to School" products to
help parents prepare their children for the
classroom.
"Your commissary is the very best choice to
get food products for your children's healthy
breakfasts; easy-to-prepare, healthy pack
lunches; after-school snacks and other
school-related items," said Michelle Frost,
the Defense Commissary Agency's chief of
promotions and marketing. "And, we have
them available at the best prices in town."
DeCA's industry partners - vendors,
suppliers and brokers - are collaborating
with commissaries in August to offer
discounts beyond everyday savings.
Overseas stores may have substitute events
for certain promotional programs.
Customers should check with their local
store manager to verify when they will be
offering the following sales events:
· Scholarship donations.
Commissary industry partners that are
donating part of their sales proceeds to the
Scholarships for Military Children program
include: Kimberly-Clark, Colgate-Palmolive,
FROM THE NEWS DESK
Commissaries return to normal hours
Aug. 18-24
Military commissaries worldwide will return to
normal operating schedules the week of Aug.
18-24, said the director and CEO of the Defense
Commissary Agency.
The DeCA announcement comes in the wake of
the Department of Defense's Aug. 6 decision to
curtail furloughs of its civilian workforce from
11 to six days.
"This is welcome news for us all," said Joseph
H. Jeu. "Our stores will return to their regular
schedules after Aug. 17. I encourage our
patrons to check the DeCA website for their
commissary's operating hours.
"We recognize the disruption that furloughs
presented to our patrons as far as access to
their commissary benefit," he added. "We also
understand the economic hardships many of
our employees faced with the pay they lost
during the furlough period." Since July 8, the
one-day-per-week furloughs impacted all of
DeCA's more than 14,000 U.S. civilian
employees worldwide.
With the end of furloughs, Jeu asked that
patrons be patient as product delivery
schedules return to normal. "We will do
everything possible to ensure that our shelves
are properly stocked with the products our
customers want when they shop," he said.
"However, there will be a short adjustment
period as our stores settle back into their pre-
2. Kellogg's, Keebler, Chef Boyardee, Peter
Pan, Manwich, Orville Redenbacher,
Campbell's and Pepperidge Farm, to name a
few. Look for the mass displays in
commissaries through Aug. 21.
· Essay contest. Dixon Marketing is
sponsoring an essay contest for school
children, giving them a chance to win one of
10 Kindle Fire tablets. The essay topic is: "If
I could change one thing about the world,
what would it be?" Entries must be
submitted to www.familymedia.com/dmi
by Sept. 1. There will also be in-store, high-
value coupons and a worldwide distribution
of 500,000 in-store flyers offering more
savings on Dixon Marketing's promotion
items through Aug. 21.
· "Box Tops for Education." General
Mills will sponsor this worldwide event
through Aug. 21. Each Box Tops for
Education coupon collected is worth 10
cents. Schools earn thousands of dollars per
year for computers, library books, art
supplies and playground equipment by
clipping Box Tops coupons. Many General
Mills items will feature two box tops (20
cents) during this promotional period. For
more details go to
http://www.boxtops4education.com/ .
· "Salute Top Military Families." S
& K Sales Company and their participating
manufacturers are sponsoring this
promotion through Sept. 25. The worldwide
sale will distribute 650,000 special eight-
page flyers in the commissaries. A portion
of each product's purchase price will be
donated to the National Military Family
Association, a nonprofit organization
focusing on issues important to military
families. They have offered more than $2
million in scholarships annually to military
spouses. They also send over 45,000
children annually to Operation Purple
Summer camp, a free program for children
whose parents are deployed to war
locations.
· "Back-to-School, Smart Savings
Rule!" Industry partners - Kraft Foods,
General Mills, Heinz, Nabisco, Nestle,
Quaker Oats, Bumble Bee, Fresh Express,
furlough operating and delivery routines."
Commissary customers can quickly find out
about any changes to their local store's
operating schedule by going to
www.commissaries.com, clicking on the
"Locations" tab, then "Alphabetical Listing" to
locate their store, and clicking on "Local Store
Information."
Commissary Rewards Card observes
first anniversary with mobile app
On Aug. 8 the Defense Commissary Agency will
observe the first anniversary of the Commissary
Rewards Card. To coincide with this milestone,
a mobile application will be available for patrons
using the Apple iPhone. This mobile application
can be found in the app store on all iPhones and
iPads, allowing patrons the ability to access
their rewards card account, select coupons and
review clipped, redeemed and expired coupons.
The application also allows patrons to locate
commissaries and obtain specific store
information such as phone number and address.
An Android app is planned for fiscal year 2014.
Card users will also see options to receive alerts
based on their purchases, reminders of clipped
coupons awaiting redemption or expiration, and
notices when new coupons are available.
DeCA Names Best Commissary Award
Winners
The Defense Commissary Agency is honoring
select military commissaries worldwide for being
among the best at delivering the commissary
benefit.
Known as the DeCA Best Commissary awards,
the honors draw attention to agency stores that
3. Tyson Foods and Ralston Cereals - will
provide commissary shoppers worldwide 16-
page booklets with coupons for fresh meat
and produce, family meal favorites and
back-to-school necessities. The booklets
include recipes for breakfast, lunchbox,
dinner and snack ideas plus information on
DeCA's Rewards Card. Check out their
website, www.mymilitarysavings.com, for
more details on participating products, a
shopping list, a contest to win commissary
gift cards and more.
"Your local commissary is offering lots of
super school savings in August," Frost said.
"Visit us first before going anywhere else for
all your back-to-school needs!"
Update on the Guard/Reserve On-site
Sales Schedule Newsletter
In light of budgetary reductions mandated
under sequestration, the Defense
Commissary Agency has taken steps to
reduce operating costs wherever possible.
As a result, no Guard/Reserve on-site sales
are scheduled at this time. When future
events are scheduled, we will certainly
announce it to our customers through the
Guard/Reserve Sales Schedule email
newsletter, www.commissaries.com and
social media channels.
SAVE EVEN MORE
(These links will change monthly.)
Kingsford Charcoal
Enjoy these benefits by clicking here,
have earned recognition through exceptional
performance, said DeCA Director and CEO
Joseph H. Jeu. DeCA's Best Commissary awards
recognize overall excellence in commissary
operations and service.
"The selection process for these awards is
rigorous - and it should be!" Jeu said. "To win, a
store has to exceed our normal criteria for
customer service, accountability, safety,
operations and sales.
"It's important for our customers to understand
that their commissary is the product of an
outstanding collaboration of our employees,
industry members - vendors, suppliers, and
brokers - and military stakeholders," he added.
"The best commissary awards highlight the best
of what our stores do every day for our service
members and their families."
The awards are named in honor of government
officials who have protected the commissary
benefit and championed quality-of-life issues for
the military and their families.
[Visit Best Commissaries to see more of the
winners.]
Bill Nichols Award for the Best Large Commissary
in the United States
First Place: Keesler Air Force Base
Commissary, Miss.
4. http://www.kingsford.com/user/register/
when you join the grilling community: Share
your thoughts about Kingsford(r) products;
get exclusive offers such as coupons, deals
and more from Kingsford and KC
Masterpiece; and join Kingsford(r)
University where you learn top grilling
techniques.
Sign up to get started at Kellogg's
Family Rewards
It's easy and free to sign up for Kellogg's
Family Rewards TM. Then you can enter
codes, collect points, and earn awesome
rewards and family fun! You'll also receive
the latest and greatest benefits from
Kellogg, like exclusive savings, great-tasting
recipes and special offers and promotions.
A DeCA disaster crew member works to clean up
the Homestead Air Force Base Commissary after
Hurricane Andrew in August 1992.
THIS MONTH IN HISTORY
August 1992 was a bad month weather wise
for three commissaries as Hurricane Andrew
hit Homestead Air Force Base, Fla.,
destroying most of the base and damaging
its commissary. A few days later, Typhoon
Omar hit Guam, damaging commissaries at
Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Station
Guam.
KAY'S KITCHEN
with
Kay Blakley
BABY BYTES
(These links will change each month.)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- folic acid
If a woman has enough folic acid in her body
before and during pregnancy, it can help
prevent major birth defects of the baby's brain
and spine. Visit
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/folicacid/index.html
for more information on folic acid.
Juvenile Products Manufacturers
Association
Creating a safe environment for your baby is
the best thing you can do to ensure the first
years are happy and healthy; being more aware
of the products in and around your home is
another step that will become second nature as
baby grows. Check in for safety tips, topics of
the month and recalls at THE PARENTHOOD,
http://www.jpma.org/content/parents/the-
parenthood , a comprehensive online
community for moms, dads, grandparents and
other caregivers.
BABY BOUTIQUE
AAFES helps you stretch your bottom
dollar at shopmyexchange.com
Did you know that
www.shopmyexchange.com sells diapers
and baby wipes at a great price? You'll find the
5. Add a little spice to summertime
menus
Those of us who love spicy foods seem to
crave them any time of year, but especially
so in the heat of summer. It sounds a little
strange that you'd want to eat a food that
stimulates your circulation, raises your body
temperature and makes you sweat - as if
you're not sweating enough already. But
the fact is, the evaporation of those beads
of moisture on your brow really does have a
substantial cooling effect. Besides that,
spicy foods are said to stimulate your
appetite even when the thermometer says
it's way too hot to eat. If it is hotter than a
flitter where you are, this week's recipe
collection is tailor-made for you.
Use the easy Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
recipe on chicken, beef or pork. Keep the
house cool with Sue's Amazing Beef - it's
cooked in a slow cooker. Or go for good-for-
you Roasted Tomato-Pepper Salsa with
Salmon. If you're in a party mood, serve
your guests some Baked Jalapeno Poppers
or the sweet and spicy Jezebel Sauce
served over a block of cream cheese
accompanied by a selection of crispy
crackers.
Shop your local commissary to purchase
these ingredients at significant savings.
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
Baked Jalapeno Poppers
Roasted Tomato-Pepper Salsa with
Salmon
Sue's Amazing Beef
Jezebel Sauce
Exchange Select diapers and wipes - as well as
Pampers and Huggies - at low prices. And,
they'll be delivered straight to your door. Visit
www.shopmyexchange.com today to start
saving.
Dreft - 'Gentle as a Mother's Touch'
Dreft, http://www.dreft.com/products/, with
items specially formulated for baby's needs, has
been helping mothers clean baby clothes for
more than 75 years. Visit the "Shop for Dreft"
page to find their detergents online or in a store
near you.
A commissary patron enjoys the savings from the
commissary benefit while shopping at Cannon Air
Force Base Commissary.