It happens every year. I get all excited about meeting the trick-or-treaters. I plot out exactly what candy to buy and who has it the cheapest. (The business that will deliver it to me usually wins.) I arrange the candy in a lovely bowl. Then, for one reason or another I get no trick-or-treaters.
And by ‘one reason or another’ I mean I forget to leave the porch light on.
Well, lastt year when I woke up the morning after Halloween to a bowl full of candy I had optimistically left out overnight for late-night trick-or-treaters, I took my problem to Google.
“What to do with leftover Halloween candy,” I searched, and I found my answer — Operation Troop Treats.
It is a national nonprofit that dentists run to collect candy for U.S. service members and their families.
Drop off candy at a local dentist’s office, through the nonprofit Operation Gratitude.
My son, Donovan, and I gifted our leftover candy, no problem last year in Atlanta.
And I have to be honest, it is one of few service activities I’ve done since Donovan was born. Part of that is intentional. I have a tendency to stretch myself too thin.
When I found out I was pregnant, I made the deliberate decision to make space in my life for my child and step back from organizations I had earlier dedicated hours and hours of time to.
I don’t regret that decision one bit. My baby’s worth every minute I can find, but I also want to teach him that he has a responsibility to help other people, to care about them and to give to them.
I believe you teach that lesson by doing.
What’s ironic is the fact you drop off the candy at a dentist’s office. Sugar creates alot of cavities…
Our orthodontist lets you bring in candy and trade it for other things like t-shirts, gift cards and more! My girls collect extra candy just to turn it in!
Awesome. It is great that you let your child learn the habit of giving and helping the needy. The earlier the learn the habit, the better. In my house, there is rarely any Halloween candy left, but we still do our part to share our blessings and volunteer our time to those who need them most.
I have to find a dentist that participates in the buy back. We donate much of ours to local police/troops.