The South Valley Chamber of Commerce is collecting snacks, treats, and handwritten letters at its Sandy headquarters through August, with a goal of assembling 500 care packages for active-duty service members at a volunteer event in September.

The initiative, called "A Taste of Home Care Packages," gives Sandy-area residents four ways to pitch in: buy items from the Chamber's Amazon registry (delivered directly to its offices), donate money toward remaining supplies, write and return thank-you letters or coloring pages, or show up in September to help pack boxes in assembly-line fashion.

Jay Francis, the Chamber's president and CEO, has pushed purpose-driven programming since taking the helm in October 2020. "When I took over the Chamber, I wanted our events to have purpose," Francis said at the Chamber's State of the Chamber event on February 12. "Each event we host, I want people to leave saying, 'I met someone, I learned something or I am better for attending.'"

The care-package drive follows a similar playbook to the Chamber's November 2025 snack-box collection for Jordan and Canyons School District food pantries, which also used an Amazon wish list and social media outreach to gather donations.

Logos on the Chamber's project page indicate corporate support from Real Salt Lake, Rocky Mountain Power, Starbucks, and Mountain Crest.

Letters and coloring pages can be downloaded free from the same page and returned by mail or in person to the Chamber offices at 9800 S. Monroe St., Suite 806, Sandy, UT 84070. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Chamber has not announced an exact date for the September assembly event. Residents can check southvalleychamber.com/taste-of-home for updates and the Amazon registry link.