How about sending candy to troops
By DENNIS McCARTHY
LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
10/31/2009
What would it take for your kids to give up most of that candy they collected while trick-or-treating on Halloween?
Or all that candy you’ve got left over today because you had fewer than expected kids come to your door.
Here’s a suggestion: Donate the candy to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq so they can hand the sweets out to local kids there to help show them we’re not a country of monsters and bullies.
More than 1,200 dentists around the country have registered to buy back Halloween candy from kids for $1 a pound.
They’ll give the candy to Encino-based Operation Gratitude --
www.opgratitude.com -- which will send it along with other items as holiday care packages to our troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“The troops tell me they use the candy and donated Beanie Babies to hand out to kids while they’re on patrol,” says Valley resident Carolyn Blashek, who started Operation Gratitude.
“It’s all about winning hearts and minds.”
And trust.
If you want to get involved and save your child a few cavities while doing a good thing, go to
www.halloweencandybuyback.com.
You just enter your ZIP code and how far you’re willing to drive to drop off the candy at a participating dentist.
“I wanted to do something to tell the troops overseas that we think of them and thank them for their relentless work,” says Dr. Vram Kargodorian. “It’s an act of good will while also promoting healthy living in children.”
His dental office will be collecting candy from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at 11200 Corbin Ave., Suite 100, Porter Ranch.
Also paying kids $1 a pound for their candy are Drs. Allen and Kelly Smudde, whose dental office is at 27450 Tourney Road, Suite 250, in Valencia.
“We didn’t want to take away the fun and excitement of dressing up and gathering massive quantities of candy on Halloween,” said Office Manager Melissa Garcia.
“But rather than gathering all that candy for your children’s consumption, we thought that it would be fun to have your kids give it all away.”
I’m not sure that’s the kind of fun kids have in mind for their Halloween candy, but maybe parents could help them understand the good it will do thousands of miles away.
“Each child will be able to write thank-you notes to the troops as they are surrendering their candy,” Garcia said.
The Smuddes’ office will be open from 3:45 to 6 p.m. on Monday for kids to drop off their candy. There are other Valley dentists participating nearer your home so check the Web site.
The drop-off program was started a few years back by Dr. Chris Kammer, a dentist in Wisconsin.
“He called and asked me if I’d take the candy for our troops,” Blaschek said. “The first year we had 20 dentists nationwide giving us candy.
“Last year it grew to 100, and this year over 1,200 dentists have signed up. We’ll collect a minimum of 50 tons of candy from all over the country.”
Fifty tons. That’s a lot of young hearts, minds and trust our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan can win.
Good use for Halloween candy
