Kids, Halloween Candy, Dentists and the Troops

by Alice Shaffer
Financial Friday

You may be asking yourself what do “Kds, Halloween Candy, Dentists and the Troops” have to do with one another? Well they all involve money specifically ONE DOLLAR PER POUND of CANDY!

The name of the program is Halloween Candy Buy Back.  The program encourages kids to “give back” and get money for their Halloween candy at local dentist offices across the United States. Each of the dentists will weigh and pay the child for their candy and some even have other goodies for the kids.  Make sure to check out the website for a location near you and the dates they are holding the buy back program.

The first question that came to my mind is “Why are we sending candy to our troops overseas, when candy is bad for us?” That very question was answered as follows:

Isn’t Halloween candy as bad for troops as it is for kids?

If you get negative comments or feedback, remind critics of the purpose of Halloween Candy Buy Back:

1. Halloween candy represents a warm memory of life “back home” and children that care enough to donate candy in support of our troops.
2. Those troops are risking their lives every day. If a little piece of candy can provide a moment of happiness, why not?
3. Soldiers are adults and certainly understand how to keep their mouths health by now. Children are still learning how to brush, floss, and take care of their teeth.

The question now becomes how do convince the kids to give up their candy that they worked hard for this weekend walking around the malls and neighborhoods collecting candy.

• Talk to the kids about how the troops are missing out on Halloween by being away from home.
• Talk to them about earning money to “cash” in for a new toy or something else at the store
• Do a matching program with your kids.  Match dollar for dollar the amount they earn and go out to a special dinner or a movie with the money they earned.
• Talk to them about “paying it forward” gestures
• Write letters to the troops to include with the candy.

Have a great Halloween weekend and please be safe as it is darker now outside.