Image by Amarand Agasi via FlickrA Wisconsin dentist asked the same question and came up with the Halloween Candy Buy Back Program. Four years ago, in an effort to fight tooth decay and obesity, he started offering to buy back his littlest patients' leftover loot for $1 a pound. Now thousands of dentists, in almost every state, participate every year. The amount of candy they've been able to collect is simply astonishing: 122,000 pounds last year alone!
But that's just the beginning. What do these dentists do with all the bought back candy? It gets sent to our troops overseas! The Halloween Candy Buy Back program partnered with Operation Gratitude, a program that focuses on sending care packages to American troops serving overseas. The troops appreciate the candy as a reminder of home, and they also hand it out to local children as a way of fostering relationships.
It sounds like an all-around great program. Kids eat less candy, get a little cash to spend on something else, and learn a little about giving in the process. Visit Halloween Candy Buy Back to find a participating dentist in your area.
That is an awesome idea! My way of keeping the kids from eating too much candy is to eat it myself...well, at least all the tootsie rolls...those are my favorties.
ReplyDeleteOh, Tootsie Rolls! I like those, too.
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