FORT LEE, Va. – Once upon a time, a number of commissaries had small branch stores that allowed customers to conveniently phone in their orders, drive up to that facility and pick up their groceries.

It wasn’t quite Commissary CLICK2GO, but it was a precursor of things to come.

“When you look back into the history of military commissaries it’s amazing to see the roots of services like the curbside pickup we’re offering today,” said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the Defense Commissary Agency director. “It’s a testament to the fact that a good idea doesn’t have a shelf life.” 

So, what’s the story about commissaries and their drive-up branch stores?

The number of commissaries grew during and after World War II, but not nearly fast enough to keep up with the number of military bases or the military family population. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, most commissaries still remained low on the priority list for funds for renovations and new facility construction. 

This funding shortage forced most bases to “make do” with whatever facilities they already had. One common solution was to create a store annex or a branch store. These smaller operations allowed customers to quickly run in and pick up a few items such as bread, milk and paper towels.

The Troop Support Agency, the organization that managed Army commissaries, called these stores “Mini Coms” and the Air Force Commissary Service dubbed theirs “Wee Serve,” which reflected on their motto “We Serve Where You Serve.”

Sometimes these annexes were established as separate “neighborhood stores.” In some instances, the branch operations were separate areas within the main store building, but were walled off from the rest of the store. They kept different hours than the main store and were accessed by separate entrances. 

Several of these branch stores allowed customers to call in their order over the phone, select a time to pick their groceries up and have them brought out to their car when they arrived. Although most annexes and branches were walk-in stores, a few had a window service that turned them into “drive-ins” – also known as “drive-throughs” or “drive-thrus.”

Most of the branch stores with drive-up service were open longer hours to serve customers later in the evening or early in the morning before the regular commissary opened.

The drive-in made possible incredibly quick shopping trips, during which the customer never left the vehicle. A customer could purchase a half-dozen items and be on his or her way in a matter of minutes. Such was the case at Port Hueneme, California, in 1961. The drive-in annex was attached to the main store, but it reduced congestion in the main store and in the parking lot by enabling customers to shop without getting out of their cars.

Some stores used the drive-in concept exclusively for parcel pick-up. This was especially popular at locations where there were not enough baggers to carry every customer’s purchases to their cars. Customers would walk through the store as usual, selecting items, but at the register their groceries would be tagged with a number, and when the customer drove up to the pick-up window, he would present a matching claim ticket to the attendant. Some stores, such as the main store at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1965, provided a roof or a partial overhang for the parcel pick-up area.

Yesterday’s branch store call-in and pickup operations have evolved into today’s Commissary CLICK2GO.

“Our online ordering-curbside pick program makes shopping fun with features offering helpful product details, a robust selection of recipes, featured sales and promotions and now you can even pay online,” Saucedo said. “You arrive at your commissary and we’ll get your groceries loaded and off you go. It’s as easy as that.”

DeCA’s evolution of convenience continues with its testing of a delivery service at eight stateside installations that began June 1 and ends Aug. 30. The service allows patrons within a 20-mile radius of the participating commissary to order groceries online via Commissary CLICK2GO, and have them delivered to their front door. The test period is one of the tools the agency is using to determine future expansion of Commissary CLICK2GO delivery.

-DeCA-

NOTE: Portions of this article came from “The Illustrated History of American Military Commissaries” by Dr. Peter Skirbunt, former DeCA historian

FORT LEE, Va. – As the world celebrates 52 years of Earth Day on April 22 and the awareness it brings, the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) is highlighting the steps it takes every day to reduce its environmental footprint through recycling and diversion, food donations and the sale of environmentally friendly products.

Since the inception of its environmental program in 2005, DeCA has recycled or diverted over 1.9 billion pounds of solid waste from landfills worldwide. That’s the equivalent of 1,939 fully loaded Boeing 747 jumbo jets being eliminated from landfills.

“It’s not just about Earth Day,” said Steven Edlavitch, DeCA environmental program manager. “The agency has made the commitment to our communities and that means we must also ensure we are doing everything we can to protect and bring sustainability to those communities.”

To fulfill its mission of reducing the agency’s footprint, commissaries recycle and divert different types of commodities. DeCA then sells the commodities and the proceeds are added to the surcharge funds, which pays for the construction of replacement stores, renovations, maintenance and repairs of existing stores, and the purchasing of new equipment and store-level information technology systems. The sale of cardboard, plastic and office paper has generated over $57 million in surcharge funds since 2005. In 2021, DeCA recycled or diverted the following commodities:

• Aluminum cans – 1,587 pounds
• Cardboard – 70,182,331 pounds
• Compost – 8,487,554 pounds
• Fat and bones – 1,076,858 pounds
• Food donations – 4,466,361 pounds
• Food recovery (organics) – 77,320 pounds
• Local farm – 610,711 pounds
• Metal – 54,410 pounds
• Office paper – 44,348 pounds
• Other recyclables – 29,081 pounds
• Plastic – 4,074,070 pounds
• Rotisserie chicken oil – 82,227 pounds
• Toner cartridges – 72 pounds
• Wood – 2,614,418 pounds
• Wood pallets – 3,291,821 pounds

The agency also sells outdated or surplus equipment. “By using a liquidation service to help sell out-of-use items, we have supported the environment by diverting 1.5 million pounds of used equipment from landfills,” said Edlavitch. “We also boosted the commissary benefit at the same time with the sale of these items, generating over $4.1 million in surcharge revenue.”

Another part of DeCA’s environmental program is the agency’s food bank program that donates edible but unsellable food to local food banks around the country. In 2021, the agency donated over 4.4 million pounds of edible but unsellable food. Since 2012, when the program started, the agency has donated over 32 million pounds of food, eliminating approximately 2.6 million pounds of methane gas, a detrimental greenhouse gas. DeCA currently has 196 approved (DoD) food banks and 174 commissaries supporting local foodbanks.

“The pandemic created a large demand for food donations,” said Edlavitch. “Helping food-insecure families is our social responsibility. And as an added bonus, donating food also reduces our environmental impact. We will continue to look for opportunities to donate food to help support our communities.”

DeCA also participates in the Feds Feed Families Food Drive, a voluntary federal-wide and nationwide effort for employees to collect and donate food for those in need. The USDA oversees the program and DeCA manages the DoD Feds Feed Families program. The 2021 campaign, which was conducted from June 1 to Aug. 31, collected just over 7.5 million pounds for donation to food banks. Commissary customers and DeCA employees were responsible for donating 2.4 million pounds or 66 percent of the DOD wide total of 3.7 million pounds. 

Even the commissary buildings contribute to the overall mission. Many of them have been built to or have been renovated to minimize their carbon footprint. Many of the stores have glass doors on their refrigeration units, they take advantage of natural light and use solar power units and LED lighting when possible. Some stores also have low- to no-maintenance flooring which helps to reduce the chemicals and equipment needed to strip and polish floors reducing the overall cost to run stores. The agency is also working to convert or upgrade existing HVAC units and other store technologies to help reduce the footprint further. 

The last part of the agency’s mission is offering environmentally friendly products for commissary customers. Products that can reduce the customers’ impact on the environment can be found in almost every section of the store. Customers can choose from organic produce, energy-saving compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs, high-efficiency laundry products and environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Customers can also find products with reduced packaging like paper towels and bathroom tissue without the cardboard tubes.

The commissary also features a commissary store brand, Full Circle Market, that provides sustainable, simple and better choices through all-natural ingredients, while not costing a fortune or sacrificing taste. According to the brand’s website, their “organic foods are farmed and produced without chemical treatments and processing. Full Circle Market organic foods have been produced using cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that support the cycling of on-farm resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.”

Customers can also buy reusable shopping bags while shopping in their commissaries to help reduce the number of plastic bags being sent to landfills.

“While Earth Day may bring awareness to the systems and processes we have in place to help protect the environment, sustainability is something that is ingrained in how the commissaries do business,” said Edlavitch. “Our customers can count on us to be good stewards of the military and global communities.”

-DeCA-

NEWS RELEASE

Defense Commissary Agency

Corporate Communications

1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, VA 23801-1800

Tel:  (804) 734-8000, Ext. 8-6105  DSN: 687-8000, Ext. 8-6105 

FAX: (804) 734-8248  DSN: 687-8248

www.commissaries.com

Release Number:        15-22                                                                             

Date:                              March 24, 2022

Media Contact:           Kevin L. Robinson, public affairs specialist

Tel.:                               (804) 734-8000, Ext. 4-8773

E-mail:                         kevin.robinson@deca.mil

By Kevin L. Robinson,

DeCA public affairs specialist

Facebook-friendly version: Select commissaries and exchanges worldwide are planning recognition events to honor veterans, surviving spouses and their families for Vietnam War Veterans Day on March 29. Vietnam War-era veterans who served from Nov. 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975 will receive commemorative lapel pins. Participants are advised to check with their local commissaries and exchanges for scheduled ceremonies.

Click here  to read more on the DeCA website.

FORT LEE, Va. – Select commissaries and exchanges worldwide are planning recognition events to honor veterans, surviving spouses and their families for Vietnam War Veterans Day on March 29.

Vietnam War-era veterans who served from Nov. 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975 will receive commemorative lapel pins. Participants are advised to check with their local commissaries and exchanges for scheduled ceremonies.

Defense Commissary Agency Director and CEO Bill Moore said it is only right that commissaries join the nation in recognizing the service and sacrifice of Vietnam War-era veterans and their families.

“When our nation called, they answered,” Moore said. “We at DeCA are privileged to acknowledge their proud legacy of service. We also want to continue welcoming the millions of eligible veterans and their caregivers who are now authorized to shop on-base.”

Approximately 9 million U.S. military members served on active duty during the Vietnam War era. Out of the 2.7 million U.S. service members who served in Vietnam, more than 58,000 were killed and more than 304,000 were wounded.

Vietnam Veterans Day was first established by presidential proclamation in 2012 leading to the start of annual observance events in 2014. The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 further established the events as a national observance to recognize Vietnam War-era veterans for their service.

At DeCA, supporting the military is part of the DNA of its workforce, with more than 65 percent of commissary employees having a direct connection to the military as a veteran, a retiree, a military family member or a reservist.

“We appreciate the opportunity to serve our military veterans because we’re in essence honoring family,” Moore said. “My dad was a Vietnam combat vet, so this is personal for me. He became disabled as a result of his service, like so many of his fellow Vietnam veterans. They deserve the honor and respect of our nation for their selfless service and sacrifice in that war.

“On this special day, March 29, we are taking time out to honor our Vietnam War-era veterans,” he added. “And for any of those vets who are disabled and can shop in our stores, we want to reach out to them and let them know the commissary is here to deliver savings on their grocery bill.”

To learn more about the National Vietnam War Commemoration effort, go to their website.

-DeCA-

News Release

Defense Commissary Agency

Corporate Communications

1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, VA 23801-1800

Tel:  (804) 734-8000, Ext. 8-6105  DSN: 687-8000, Ext. 8-6105 

FAX: (804) 734-8248  DSN: 687-8248

www.commissaries.com

Release Number:        06-22                                                                                                                        

Date:                              February 1, 2022

Media Contact:           Kevin L. Robinson, public affairs specialist

Tel.:                               (804) 734-8000, Ext. 4-8773

E-mail:                         kevin.robinson@deca.mil

Heart Health Month

Commissaries offer customers plenty

of product selections

to boost their cardiovascular wellness  

By Kathy Milley,

DeCA public affairs specialist

Facebook-friendly version: February is American Heart Month and a perfect time to focus on heart health. Many of the factors of cardiovascular health are under our control. One of the most significant weapons is the food we eat. The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) offers customers plenty of opportunities to make better product selections for their heart health while saving significantly in the process.

Click here to read the story on the DeCA website

FORT LEE, Va. – February is American Heart Month and a perfect time to focus on heart health. Many of the factors of cardiovascular health are under our control. One of the most significant weapons is the food we eat.

The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) offers customers plenty of opportunities to make better product selections for their heart health while saving significantly in the process.

“Heart disease doesn’t occur overnight, it is a result of lifelong choices,” said Deborah Harris, DeCA’s dietitian and health and wellness program manager (who holds a master of Public Health degree and is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist).

“One of the best ways to keep our hearts healthy is to make food selections that will help us protect our hearts,” she added. “As you shop the commissary aisles, start with a few heart-healthy changes, like reading nutrition labels and choosing “Dietitian-Approved Thumb” tagged items, then begin to add others.”

According to the American Heart Association, when making the following choices, it will help ensure you are eating nutrient-dense foods for a heart-healthy dietary pattern.

• Eat a variety of fruit and vegetables – all forms (fresh, frozen, canned and dried) and all colors
• Choose whole grains
• Select healthy sources of protein, mostly from plant sources like legumes and nuts, fish or seafood, low-fat or nonfat dairy and lean cuts of meat
• Limit red and processed meats, sodium, added sugars and alcohol
• Choose foods and oils with healthy fats, avoiding saturated and trans fats
• Scan the entire nutrition label to identify nutrient-dense foods. Look further down the label to identify beneficial nutrients such as calcium, potassium and fiber. This analysis has already been done for commissary customers. Simply look for the “Dietitian-Approved Thumb”-tagged items on the commissary shelves

As you menu plan and shop, the commissary places these heart healthy choices at your fingertips. Try some new recipes like Shepherd’s Pie with Cauliflower Topping , Shrimp and Grits, or any of the other dietitian-approved recipes found on commissaries.com.

Use the monthly menu planning resources: the Printable Nutrition Month Dinner Meal Plan or the Tasty. Simple. Nutritious Dinner Meal Plan to add variety to your heart smart choices.

Even when shopping online using Commissary Click2Go, the commissary’s online ordering service, instantly add the ingredients of your favorite dietitian-approved recipe to your virtual grocery cart by selecting the recipe you would like to add to your meal plan for the week and simply click the “Add to Cart” button beside each of the ingredients you need to prepare the meal.

“The commissary has made it easy to stock your fridge and pantry with nutrient-dense foods that are kind to your heart. These food choices will help you achieve success in transforming to a heart-healthy diet that will support your heart health in the years to come,” Harris said. “Small steps like these now can lead to big strides toward better heart health later.”

-DeCA-

About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.

By Rick Brink, DeCA public affairs specialist

Facebook-friendly version: Commissary CLICK2GO, the Defense Commissary Agency’s online shopping and curbside pickup service, extended its services Oct. 25 to commissary customers in all 50 states who participate in the Electronic Benefits Transfer/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or EBT/SNAP. Click here to read the full story online.

FORT LEE, Va. – Commissary CLICK2GO, the Defense Commissary Agency’s online shopping and curbside pickup service, extended its services Oct. 25 to commissary customers in all 50 states who participate in the Electronic Benefits Transfer/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or EBT/SNAP.

            “We’re pleased with the ongoing evolution of our online shopping program to be able to offer its convenience to our customers,” said DeCA Director and CEO Bill Moore, “There’s a catch, though, that for now, and until some electronic payment issues are resolved, EBT/SNAP customers can shop online, but will have to go inside the store to pay for their purchases.”

            EBT/SNAP is only available in the U.S., not at overseas locations. Customers use a card that’s similar to a credit or debit card to access their benefits. The EBT/SNAP account of a participant is debited to reimburse the store for food they purchase. The Commissary CLICK2GO payment processor currently only accepts Mastercard, VISA, Discover and American Express for online and curbside payments, which is why EBT/SNAP participants have to go inside the store to complete their purchases.

            “I can assure you we are working to resolve the issues as quickly as possible, but we don’t have a timeframe, yet, of when that will be,” Moore said. “This year we finished an all-out press to expand Commissary CLICK2GO worldwide, and we are continuing to make it better as we strive to be the grocery store of choice for our patrons worldwide.”

-DeCA-