Candy Buy Back Nets Second Largest Return

The streets were filled with ghosts and goblins of various age, princesses and heroes of various worlds, all holding sacks and plastic pumpkins in anticipation of a sampling of sweets at Trunk or Treat and neighboring homes.

The following day, many of those children surrendered all or a portion of their sweetly gotten gains to a program benefiting military personnel on assignment.

Operation Gratitude promotes the candy give-back program. The donated candy, a "buy-back" program in Sidney, is sent where it is repackaged to be sent to soldiers overseas. The Halloween Candy Give-Back program is hosted by dentists, businesses, groups and families, according to the Operation Gratitude website. LifeSmiles of Sidney has been hosting the program for about 10 years.

While it might appear as an effort to direct people away from candy, the dentist office was just as interested in sweetening the day of military personnel who don't have bite-size candy bars, miniature chocolate-peanut butter candies and a host of other sweets associated with Halloween. As an encouragement to donate candy, LifeSmiles bought back the candy at one dollar per pound up to $5 per child who came to the office with a parent or guardian. The program also included a chance to win prizes.

This year was expected to be down some in donations because of changes in the economy. However, that was not the case. With the generous presence at Trunk or Treat, and children's willingness to "sell" their candy, LifeSmiles had their second highest return this year.

Candy brought to LifeSmiles is transported by UPS and shipped to Operation Gratitude in California where it is then disbursed to soldiers throughout the world.

This year's care packages through Operation Gratitude will also include floss, travel-size toothpaste, pens and mechanical pencils.

LifeSmiles Dentist Leasa Dornhier said she heard of soldiers receive candy who then offered it to local children where they were stationed.