It’s a sweet deal: your children have a place to take their excess Halloween candy while supporting our servicemen and women overseas at the same time. It’s the annual candy buy back program at the office of Steven J. Thompson, D.D.S., located at 42 Public Square in the Village of Holley.
This marks the ninth year of the successful program and Dr. Thompson says kids and adults are invited to come into the office the week after Halloween and drop off their excess Halloween candy which is then donated to Operation Gratitude. The program includes the treats in special care packages sent to U.S. troops serving overseas. According to the Operation Gratitude website (operationgratitude.com), the program works to lift the spirits and meet the evolving needs of active duty and veteran communities.
“They do a nice job,” Dr. Thompson says of Operation Gratitude. He notes the program will have sent more than one million boxes – which are personally addressed to service persons – by Christmas this year (they are currently on the “March for a Second Million”). “It’s a great program,” Dr. Thompson continues. “The dental connection came in nine years ago, we are proud to be a part of that effort. It goes to a good cause. We like to support our troops any way we can.”
The office has collected hundreds of pounds of candy over the years.
Dr. Thompson observes that kids continue to bring in their extra candy, but, “… more and more adults also come in with their left over candy,” to contribute to the effort.
Also being collected are toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss and other necessities including gloves, scarves and hats. Dr. Thompson adds that for soldiers deployed in Afghanistan, Beanie Babies are one of the most requested items. Why?, because, “They give them out to kids in the area as a good will measure,” he explains. “Kids are a means of information, such as where IEDs (improvised explosive devices) are located.”
Adults are also welcome to donate to help with postage costs.
There is a scale at Dr. Thompson’s office for weighing the candy, “We pay one dollar for each pound and we give away toothbrushes,” he says. The buy back time is extended this year to anytime during the week following Halloween. The office is open Monday through Thursday, November 2 through 5 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for candy drop-off.
