Sell Leftover Halloween Candy To Troops; Get Cash In Return

Are you drowning in a sea of Snickers? Can't seem to find your way out of the Milky Way? You can have your retired trick-or-treater participate in the Halloween Candy Buyback program: a national program run by dentists in which kids sell their candy to the organization, which then donates the treats to troops overseas as part of the Operation Gratitude program. Plus, your kids will get cash and prizes in return for donating their candy (and potential cavities) to this cause.

"It's a great morale boost for the troops; it reminds them of home," Carolyn Blashek, founder of Operation Gratitude told NPR. "But more importantly, to me, this provides the opportunity for every American child to say thank-you to the military."

At one dollar a pound, the buyback definitely doesn't add up to wholesale candy prices, but it's still a way for your little Elsas to get entrepreneurial (and charitable!) about their candy loot from this weekend. More than 2,500 dentists and orthodontists have signed up for the program, and you can find one near you on Halloween Buyback's website.

Chris Kammer, a dentist in Wisconsin, founded the program in 2005 after he "shuddered at the thought" of his patients coming in after weeks of gorging on candy, and word about the program has spread more each year. 

For the latest happenings in the food and drink world, visit our Food News page.

Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozzi