American Dentists Launch Halloween Buy-Back Programmes
Dentists across America are encouraging kids to donate their Halloween treats to troops serving overseas as part of Operation Gratitude.
The aim of the scheme is to prevent children from eating too many sugary sweets at Halloween at the same time as showing serving troops how grateful everyone back at home is for their service. In exchange for their chocolate and sweets, kids will receive money.
Cedar Rapids Smile Center is just one of the offices participating in the programme. This autumn, the dental team will be offering $1 per pound of sweets, with a maximum of $5 per child. The team is hoping to collect around 300lb of sweets, which will be sent off to Operation Gratitude and then shipped out to troops serving abroad.
Katrina Rice from the centre said that most people are eager to support the armed forces and it’s great to be able to send them some treats.
Operation Gratitude was established in 2006 by a dentist in Wisconsin who was looking for a way of tackling oral health problems in youngsters. Halloween tends to be a time of year when children receive a lot of sweet treats and participating in the scheme enables them to enjoy the festivities without putting their oral health at risk.
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