Commissary customers can save much for Halloween, whether it’s on candy for the legions of young, costumed visitors yelling “trick-or-treat;” for their party food and drink or by entering a costume contest for a chance to win a turkey.

The Defense Commissary Agency has again led collection totals for the Department of Defense’s contributions to the annual “Feds Feed Families” campaign, accounting for about 75 percent of the Departments’ total.

Commissary gift cards are a perfect and thoughtful way to show your holiday gratitude, whether it’s honoring military families or giving the gift of groceries to single service members in the barracks.

Red Bull North America is voluntarily recalling two batches of its Red Bull energy drink because they may have degraded, producing an off color and taste as well as elevated levels of some ingredients according to a letter from the company sent Nov. 6.

The Pictsweet Company is voluntarily recalling specific Pictsweet Farms Steam’ables Asparagus Spears because they may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, according to a recall notice from the Defense Commissary Agency’s food safety office sent Nov. 13.

More commissaries will be open the Monday before Thanksgiving, the Defense Commissary Agency announced. The announcement means that many of the commissaries, normally closed on Mondays, will be open on Nov. 19, expanding available shopping hours for patrons preparing for their holiday meals. Patrons are reminded to check the “Store Information & Holiday Hours” box on their store’s webpage for operating schedules.

If you’re planning several trips to the commissary over the next few weeks to shop for holiday meals here’s a pro-tip: While there you can check one more thing off your holiday “to-do” list – shopping for stocking stuffers, a task typically saved for the last-minute rush.

Need to prepare for the holiday season, but not sure where to start? Make your commissary your first stop for special seasonal savings.