Stuckey Family Dentistry will give you money for your leftover Halloween candy.
The dentistry office is holding its first Halloween Candy Buyback Program on Tuesday.
The event will be held from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the Stuckey Family Dentistry office, located at 912 Medallion Drive.
Trick-or-treaters can bring in their excess of candy and receive $1 per pound up to 5 pounds ($5). The candy must be unopened and uneaten.
“There are a lot of fun events and fall festivals in Greenwood during the week of Halloween, and children end up with a lot of candy,” said Dr. Ward Stuckey. “They worked really hard to get that candy, but they’re not going to eat it all. Instead of just throwing the candy away, let’s do something with it.”
The collected candy will be sent to American troops abroad through Operation Gratitude, which is an organization that annually sends more than 200,000 care packages filled with food, entertainment, hygiene and handmade items, plus personal letters of appreciation to veterans, first responders, new recruits, wounded heroes, their caregivers, and U.S. service members deployed overseas.
Stuckey got the idea from dentistry offices in the Jackson area that hold similar candy buyback programs annually.
“It’s a good way to give back to the soldiers and a way to incorporate the children,” Stuckey said. “Kids like helping other people and doing something good for the troops, and this is a way for them to do that and earn some money.”
Children can also create cards, letters and drawings for the service members to arrive with the candy. In exchange, children will receive dental goody bags with toothbrushes, floss and toothpaste.
Stuckey also recommends that children brush their teeth thoroughly after consuming their Halloween candy this year.
•Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
