The Happy Halloween Candy Buyback

Here are some sweet numbers, if you’re in the candy business. 

Nine out of 10 American kids went trick-or-treating last Saturday. $2.23 billion was spent on candy in the week before Halloween. And a total of 600 million lbs. of candy was purchased.

Sounds like a dentist nightmare, doesn’t it?

But for some who care for children’s teeth, it presented a great opportunity too.

I had my eye on a snickers bar. But, I didn’t think I could grab it without getting busted by one of the children that was hanging out Monday in Dr. Lisa Wilson’s family dentistry office. You see this was a day to give up candy, not eat it.

Drew knows his way around Halloween candy. He knows what tastes yummy and what is just OK.  Drew and his sister Anna Grace, along with many other children, came to Dr. Wilson’s office to give up their Halloween candy.

It’s the Happy Halloween Candy Buyback. A simple deal: Dr. Wilson pays $1 per pound for the Halloween candy you collected.

Dr. Wilson’s practice is really about family. Most of her patients have children and she knew she wanted to be part of the candy buyback program.

“Absolutely, we see, about 70 percent of our patients are families, and all of them have multiple children, and we just love children here,” Dr. Wilson said. “And I thought it was a great way for us to actually check, and get candy out of their hands and candy out of their mouths.“

Now you might think that a dentist would want to get rid of the candy altogether, but that’s not the case.  Just ask Drew why he brought his candy today.

“To give it to the troops,“ he said.

The candy will be sent to our troops overseas. The children took time to write notes and draw pictures all to say thanks to our military personnel.

Sarah drew happy pumpkin faces she thought the troops would like. Others used stickers to decorate cards that will be shipped off with the candy.  The troops will get sweets from the youngest Americans who appreciate what they’re doing.

“They did so much for us, we want to do something for them,“ Dr. Wilson said.

So one by one, the children drug their bags full of candy to Dr. Wilson. They carefully weighed all of the candy, and Dr. Wilson gave them crisp, new $1 bills… $1 a lb. 

Most brought enough candy for $3 or $4. But, the money wasn’t the important part. Doing something for our troops was what mattered today.

Dr. Wilson has been in practice 19 years, and this is the first time she and her staff have taken part in the Halloween Candy Buyback program… but it won’t be the last.

“Oh, we’ll absolutely do it again… our parents really love the program and our kids are learning how they can give back to the troops too,“ Dr. Wilson said.

So it was a good day today at Dr. Lisa Wilson’s office.  A little less sugar on young growing teeth…. and lots of candy and sweet notes headed overseas. 

That’s the Spirit of Alabama.