PROCAMPS SEASON BEGINS: Procter & Gamble, military commissaries, exchanges partner for youth football skills events
NOTE: Click here to see a DeCA video related to ProCamps.
FORT LEE, Va. – Commissary customers have a chance to win a sports camp for the children in their community thanks to a partnership between ProCamps, Procter & Gamble and the military.
March 14 to April 10, participating commissaries worldwide will offer their customers an opportunity to help win an NFL ProCamps for their installation by purchasing select P&G products. The instructional camps are led by NFL players for the youth, in grades 1-8, of active duty, reserve, retired and DOD civilians.
P&G is joining the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), the Army and Air Force Exchange, the Navy Exchange Service Command, the Marine Corps Exchange and the Coast Guard Exchange to offer these ProCamps events. The contest began for exchanges Feb. 25.
“The return we get from ProCamps is amazing for the over 2,000 military children who get a chance to learn football fundamentals from some of the best players in the world,” said Jim Flannery, DeCA’s acting executive director of the Sales, Marketing and Logistics. “This event is an example of the millions of dollars our industry suppliers and manufacturers provide annually in giveaways and promotional events that greatly enhance military quality of life.”
Military communities qualify for a ProCamps event based on sales of designated P&G products at their local commissaries and exchanges during the contest period. Customers can also help their community be eligible to win a camp by texting their installation name to 1-833-998-1228.
“This is the 10th year of the ProCamps program and to date we have hosted over 90 football camps, in-person and virtually, for military children all over the world,” said Molly Fanning, vice president of Partnership Marketing. “We really want to continue to emphasize that this event is possible because passion, dedication and support of the commissary and the exchanges. They are truly the ones who are helping to bring the camp experience to the military community around the world.”
Since 2020, the in-person two-day football camps have given way to virtual events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The status of this year’s camps, virtual or in-person, is still to-be-determined, Fanning said. The camps are scheduled to be conducted in June and July, either in-person or virtually.
We really want to get kids back together outside in a COVID-safe environment so they can interact and learn skills from an NFL pro. However, if on-base activities and large gatherings are still not permitted we will be doing virtual camps again like last summer,” Fanning said.
-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.