Between the cool costumes, pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating, there are lots of reasons for kids to love Halloween. However, a fun-filled night of trick-or-treating usually produces bags filled with sugary candy, and consuming so much candy can bring about major sugar highs and aching teeth.

The orthodontic staff of Dr. John King at 5921 Harbour Lane, Suite 300 in Harbour Pointe was pleased to provide many families in the community with a solution to the problem of excess Halloween candy this year. Dr. King came up with the idea of buying the candy from children at $2 per pound, and his office remained open on November 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. for its first-ever “Halloween Candy Buy Back” event. Dr. King got the word out by sending a newsletter to his patients and flyers to students in third- through fifth-grades at Woolridge and Grange Hall Elementary Schools.
On November 2, Dr. King’s office was flooded with children eager to sell their Halloween candy, and some children walked away with $10. The look on their faces was priceless, and parents were delighted.

The candy will be sent to U.S. military men and women overseas to thank them for the many sacrifices they are making. Many of the children wrote letters to the troops and donated extra candy. In addition, a few students donated their portion of the money to their school’s PTA.

Dr. King and his staff held the event in order to raise awareness about the importance of healthy smiles and to reward children for making good decisions regarding the foods they consume.

Once the candy buy-back ended, the counting began. Dr. King’s staff members say they were “swimming in candy.” The total amount of candy bought back was 162 pounds. Dr. King matched the amount that was given to the students in exchange for their candy, and divided that amount between the Woolridge and Grange Hall Elementary Schools PTAs.

Dr. King’s staff has boxed the candy and shipped it to Boatsie’s Boxes, a charity organization based in West Virginia. The candy will be used to make Christmas packages and goodie bags to cheer up U.S. troops, some who are rehabilitating in hospitals overseas.

“My cousin Joey is in Iraq right now,” a Grange Hall Elementary School student said. “I think he will like getting these treats.”