As many of our patients know, each year in the first week of November we host a candy buy back program in which kids can bring in their extra Halloween candy & we’ll buy it back from them for cash or trade it for goodie bags. We’re not trying to spoil the fun & we’re not keeping the candy for ourselves! We think it’s fine if kids (& parents) have a sweet treat sometimes as long as they brush & floss after to prevent cavities. Our Halloween candy buy back program is a way to show our troops we care.
All of the Halloween candy we collect from the community is sent to our troops overseas in partnership with Operation Gratitude, a non-profit that provides care packages & other aid to military personnel. As a result of our candy buy back program, our troops have a reminder of home & get to share in the festive season. Troops can also share the candy with locals where they are stationed as a show of trust & goodwill.
We participate in this candy buy back program along with hundreds of other dental offices across the country. To date, the dentists’ candy buy back program has collected over 130 tons of candy for our troops.
In addition to candy, we also accept dental care products, including new toothbrushes, floss, & travel size mouthwash. After all, we want to make sure our troops keep their smiles healthy! If your family does not want to bring in candy or does not participate in Halloween, donating dental care products is a great way you can still show the troops you care. We also welcome cash donations.
If you’d like to be extra helpful, please sort your candy into chocolate & non-chocolate before you bring it in, as Operation Gratitude requests that these be separated.
We suggest talking to your kids about the candy buy back program before they go trick-or-treating so they get an understanding of the significance of their generosity. When children get the purpose of this program they won’t feel as if their candy is being taken away & can enjoy the process of helping the troops.