62°
Valley Pediatric Dentistry’s annual Halloween Candy Buy-Back program returns Nov. 1 for its fifth year. The primary goal of the program to reduce the amount of unhealthy sweets children get this time of year, and to also show support for troops stationed overseas.
Last year, the office collected more than 1,500 pounds of Halloween candy, and this year, the goal is to increase that amount to more than a ton of candy, Valley Pediatric said. The office will be collecting candy from Nov. 1 to 8.
Families are asked to bring their Halloween candy into the office where each child’s candy will be weighed. Children will be paid $1 per pound with a $5 max. The project is in conjunction with “Operation Support Our Troops,” a non-profit organization that sends care packages to service men and women deployed overseas.
Aside from the charitable aspect of the program, the Valley Pediatric team hopes to reduce the cavity- causing effects of Halloween candy. Dr. Jennifer Blair, dentist at Valley Pediatric, said some types of candy are better to eat than others.
“Our number one recommendation is to avoid or limit sticky candy such as taffy and caramels, along with gummy candy and lollipops, which coat teeth with tons of sugar,” Blair said. “As a general rule, the worst foods for teeth are those that contain large amounts of sugar, are sticky, or high in carbohydrate content.”
This year’s buy-back program has been expanded to various elementary school PTAs in the local area. Valley Pediatric said invitations have been extended to several local PTA organizations inviting its school community to participate in the program as well. Valley Pediatric Dentistry will donate $100 to each PTA that participates in this year’s program.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Yorktown and receive free news updates.
