Trick-Or-Treaters Are Helping The Troops By Sending Them A Sweet Surprise

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Trick-Or-Treaters Are Helping The Troops By Sending Them A Sweet Surprise

Operation Gratitude Blog

Some trick-or-treaters are starting Thanksgiving and Christmas early.

Children are experiencing the joy of giving back to those who are fighting for their country.

Dentist offices and other local businesses across the country are collecting candy for a program that sends care packages to US troops and their families. Some of these offices are also collecting winter items, such as mittens and scarves.

"Dr. Curtis Chan, a dentist in Del Mar, Calif., loads up a truck with 5,456 pounds of candy to deliver to Operation Gratitude during the Halloween Candy Buyback on Nov. 8 last year. Chan personally collected 3,542 pounds of candy from patients."NPR

If you're overwhelmed by your child's Halloween haul, donating a handful of sweets is one of the (healthy) ways you can get rid of the candy and do something sweet for our brave soldiers.

That being said, how much would kids make donating their candy and what would it achieve?

Thousands of dentists across the country have joined the program to buy children's leftover candy for $1 per pound of sweets, up to five pounds per person.

The 2017 Halloween Candy Buy Back will also accept candy in exchange for toothbrushes or coupons.

Operation Gratitude is an organization dedicated to uplifting active and veteran US troops. They send out more than 150,000 care packages each year.

The young trick-or-treaters are also encouraged to include letters and pictures when deciding to donate a care package.

Here's more information on the Halloween Buy Back Program:

If you choose to participate, don't forget to call your local dentist to learn about their rules.

Would your kids participate in this?

Moojan has been a writer at Shared for a year. When she's not on the lookout for viral content, she's looking at cute animal photos. Reach her at moojan@shared.com.