* Happy & Healthy Anniversaries *
 

Patriot Day Salute - the H & H Way


Image captured by photographer
Thomas E. Franklin
 

September 11th, 2001 drew national attention to a couple of groups that many of us often take for granted. I'm speaking of course, of the men and women serving in our local police, fire and rescue departments. That highlighting of their dedication stuck with H & H founder, Linda Kamm, and the following year, she decided to do her part in saying "Thank you" to those in our area who are brave enough to serve.

And the tradition continues to this day. This Patriot Day marked the eighth year that Linda has loaded up her minivan in order to personally deliver cases of Fruitfull® frozen fruit bars (and thank you letters*) to local police and fire stations in Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach.  Rona Doyle and I joined the effort last year and this year, newcomer Lindsey Rogers got her first taste.

Lindsey and I began our adventure at Boca Raton Police Department just around the corner here in Boca Raton. The station was a little less crowded than last year so the welcome committee was smaller (but no less appreciative) than the crowd we gathered last year.

After a quick photo, we hurried back to the office to grab the next delivery.  This time, we headed south to visit a new station on our list - Station 8.  It was a small station.  (There were only four people at the station when we dropped by.) But they were probably the most enthusiastic group we encountered!  It seems one gentleman was supposed to be on a diet but that didn't stop him from diving in when he discovered the case of Happy Indulgence® Decadent Dips.  As you can see in the photo below, he was halfway done with his Mud Pie by the time the others had removed their wrappers!  (We did assure his supervisor that the fruit bars were much healthier and I think she planned to hide the HIDD to insure that the rest of the crew had a chance to grab one.)  We ducked outside for a quick photo then noticed smoke coming from the adjacent lot.  We exchanged a hasty goodbye and they were off to check on the situation.

Next on our list was largest fire-rescue station in Deerfield Beach.  After few confused moments at the front door, we discovered the button to buzz ourselves into the building. However more confusion followed when we found ourselves facing several doors instead of the expected reception desk.  After reading various signs posted about the foyer, we decided to take an elevator ride up to the next floor to the Chief's Office.

There we discovered a reception area and soon found ourselves face to face with Assistant Fire Chief Robert Weech**. Chief Weech gave us a quick tour -- and explained just why this particular station is so large.  The entire top floor is dedicated to an emergency command center.  In the event disaster strikes the main city building complex, the top floor of the station is equipped with everything needed to keep city services operational until things return to normal.

It was a clear, hot day and by this time, we were getting a little worried about our last delivery.  Fortunately, it was right next door - the non-profit Disaster Survival House in Deerfield Beach. 

There we met with Executive Director Sherri Dicken who gave us quick tour and outlined some of the educational programs they offer.  They gladly host groups of all ages but many of their visitors are local schoolchildren.  Approximately 400 children a month pass through their doors and are treated to everything from storm videos to wind-simulating fans to a life-sized replica of the cockpit of a storm-chaser airplane. (Guests aren't normally allowed inside the cockpit but Ms. Dicken made an exception for us!)

The day was drawing to a close so we said our goodbyes and grabbed one last photo before leaving them to enjoy their Fruitfull®.  This year's experience was just as rewarding as the last and we all look forward to carrying on the tradition for many, many years to come!

Rita Hammett
Director of Communications
 

*The following is Linda's "Thank you" letter that accompanied every delivery:

September 11, 2009

Dear Friends:

Please enjoy this box of Fruitfull® and Happy Indulgence® Decadent Dip bars as a small token of Happy & Healthy’s appreciation for your dedication in protecting the neighborhoods of South Florida throughout the year. On this 9-11 anniversary, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, but they are also with you, the heroes, who give so much to our community without expecting even thanks in return. We believe you deserve that and more. So, this is our thanks to you.

Enjoy.

Sincerely,

Linda Kamm
Happy & Healthy Products, Inc.
President
 

**A Thank You from the Field

Dear Mrs. Kamm,

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for your very kind words and the appreciation that you have shown the men and women of Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue. It is true that we are tasked with a job that at times can be very difficult but your words and thoughts of appreciation and encouragement serve as a good reminder as to why we make the commitment that we do. Just as you have stated, we are also humbled by the sacrifices made by those that were involved in the tragedies of September 11, 2001. Again, I would like to express my gratitude for your gestures and let you know that they are very much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Robert Weech
Assistant Fire Chief
Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue
 

Sharing a Cracolici Tradition

H & H encourages our franchisees to share the Patriot Day experience and Cracolici family is one that always steps up to the plate.  This year was no exception and Tammy was kind enough to share her story and photos with us -- and we in turn, are happy to share them with you:

Dear Linda,

Hello!

It’s that time of year again, and as always, the boys and I headed out to all five of the Pittsfield fire stations on 9-11 to honor the firefighters and to deliver boxes of Fruitfull® and Decadent Dips®. This year was one of the most memorable, as we were able to engage the firefighters in very meaningful conversation. One of the fire chiefs told us how much it means to them that we have come every year since the first anniversary of that tragic day in 2001, as he recalled with tears in his eyes the devastation he witnessed firsthand of the wreckage of the World Trade Center towers.

This year we were missing Tom who was at Cross Country practice, but we did bring along his friend Brian who is the most passionate person about firefighting that we have ever met! You will see his picture below, along with the picture of one of the incredible 3-dimensional fire trucks he designs by hand from paper. The truck Brian made in this picture is the newest acquisition here in Pittsfield, Tower 1 ladder truck, which you can see in real form on the left hand side, second picture from the bottom.

The firefighters are very proud of that awesome truck -- it may be the only new truck for a long time as hard economic times for our city are delaying the purchase of new trucks even though the rest of the fleet is aging, with some trucks well over 20 years old!

Hope all is well!

Love,
Tammy Cracolici
Pure & Wholesome Distributors
Pittsfield, MA

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Cooking Contest

Grand Prize $1000

Do you love our Fruitfull® frozen fruit bars or our Be Happy & Healthy® snacks?  Are you a creative cook?  Do you also enjoy (or want to enjoy) winning great prizes?  Then enter our cooking contest!

All you have to do is create and make a recipe that contains at least one of our Happy & Healthy Products in the ingredients, namely Fruitfull®, Happy Indulgence®, Happy Indulgence® Decadent Dips™, Be Happy & Healthy® Snacks and/or Be Happy & Healthy® Breads.

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