Halloween is Thursday and most kids will have so much candy on hand that there is a way for them to make money and help out the troops this Halloween season.

It's Operation Cash-For-Candy and it's back for the sixth year.  Select Tri-Cities healthcare offices and businesses will "buy back" your children’s uneaten, wrapped "leftover" Halloween candy and send it to our military troops through "Operation Thank You", a local non-profit organization.

Here are details of the program through a press release provided by Operation Cash-For-Candy

The Sixth annual “Operation Cash for Candy” is underway! An expanding group of area health professionals along with Numerica Credit Union have joined together again to take candy away from children this Halloween! It sounds harsh but it’s for a great cause - sending a message of health and saying thank you to military troops who keep our world safe. It may be odd to see local health professionals buying leftover candy for $1.00 a pound, but “it’s for a noble cause” says event organizer Dr. Lee Ostler, a Richland dentist. “It’s important to send the right messages and have fun doing it,” notes Ostler. “Plus it gives us another way to say thank you to our soldiers. And the kids actually have a blast doing this. When they come in and weigh their candy, they pocket the money and write a thank you note or draw a picture to send to the troops,” says Ostler. As to how the event came to the Mid-Columbia, Dr. Ostler, who is the past-president of the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health says that a fellow board member started this in his Mid-west hometown and its now been adapted for our area. Most importantly, he believes it gives health professionals and parents an opportunity to talk about health and the dangers of candy and poor nutrition.

If you have candy that might be going to waste, why not give back to the troops and also have the kids make a few bucks on the side for a great cause. You can check out more details on Operation Cash-For-Candy and it's drop off locations through the Columbia Basin here.

 

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