It goes without saying that you should NOT tell your kids about these dentists and their plan to buy their hard-earned candy back.
But if you find your house inundated, this just might be a good option - and who knows, maybe the kids will participate if they know there's a little money involved (the dentists pay $1 per pound of candy).
NPR's Allison Aubrey reports on the Halloween Candy Buyback program. The group says more than 2,500 dentists participate.
You can find them through a "zip code locater."
Aubrey reports the program was started by Wisconsin dentist Chris Kammer:
Kammer says he started the program when he realized that, for many kids, the treat-eating season dragged on for weeks. No child needs to have a shopping bag full of candy, Kammer argues. "The thought of that makes me shudder." When he started experimenting with the idea of the candy buyback years ago, his own children were not big fans. "They said, 'Dad, that's a terrible idea,' " he says.
The candy is packaged up and shipped to U.S. troops overseas as part of Operation Gratitude.
From the Halloween Candy Buyback website:
Dental offices nationwide pay the kids for the candy and in return the dentists mail off the collection to Operation Gratitude and they sort all the goodies, pack the boxes and ship those boxes to our troops abroad serving the country. More than 130 tons of candy has been collected, over the years, by collaborating with dental offices nationwide and working with Operation Gratitude.
Concerned about tooth decay for our troops? No worries, Aubrey reports they are also sent toothbrushes and toothpaste along with a few pieces of candy.
You can listen to her story here:
