If you have any unopened Halloween candy that you or your kids didn’t eat, don’t throw it away.
From Nov. 3-7, children who wish to bring in their excess candy to participating dentist and physician offices located around the county will receive $1 per pound. Collected candy will be sent as a gift to United States military service men and women serving our country overseas via Operation Gratitude. Families can cash in and “treat the troops” all the while supporting their children’s health.
“This program is a perfect fit for the San Diego community. We are very encouraged by the number of dentists and physicians who are volunteering to participate this year and are hopeful our local families will see the many benefits this program brings,” states Cheryl Moder, director of the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, a program facilitated by Community Health Improvement.
How does the program work? After Halloween, participating dentists and physicians purchase the unopened candy from young trick-or-treaters for $1 per pound. Once they have collected the candy, the dentists and physicians coordinate with local shippers (many of whom have agreed to ship the candy at no cost) to send it to Operation Gratitude to fill up thousands of care packages for the troops.
For troop safety, Operation Gratitude works from the Army National Guard armory in Van Nuys, to assemble the packages. Once completed, they are sent to service members overseas.
Last year, more than 9,000 pounds of candy were collected in San Diego. This year the goal is to collect more than 10,000 pounds.
Program partners include Healthy Kids Choice, Inc.; The San Diego County Dental Society; The San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, a program facilitated by Community Health Improvement Partners; Mailboxes and More; and That Place that Ships.
To find your local participating dentist, physician, or business, please visit www.sdcandybuyback.org.
