HDG’s 2021 Halloween Candy Buy Back

Calling All Trick or Treaters: You heard that right – after a year-long hiatus, we’re bringing you our 11th annual Halloween candy buy back! That means that your little ones will receive cash for candy that they donate to us. Here’s the deal:

• Drop candy off at our office on either Monday 11/1 between 9:00a-5:00p or Tuesday 11/2 between 9:30a-6:00p
• We will reward your child with $1 per pound of candy donated
• For every child that drops off candy, we will also donate $10 to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem (i.e. 20 children dropping off candy = $200 donated!) 
• ALL candy will be sent, along with toothbrushes, to our troops!

Address:

Highland Dental Group

100 Highland Ave, Suite #103

Salem, MA 01970

Here is a little bit of history behind the national Halloween Candy Buy Back initiative:

​​The national Halloween Candy Buy Back (HCBB) program was started with the idea of reducing the overconsumption of sugar by children. In turn, local businesses and other entities began to collect treats that could then be sent to our troops to serve as a gesture of appreciation and to thank them for keeping us safe.In 2005, Dr. Chris Kammer held his first HCBB, which turned into a great success with patients, the general public and the media. The next year, he invited dentists from across the country to participate by paying $1 for every pound of candy a child brought into their respective offices, and then sending those goodies to the troops overseas along with other necessary items like toothbrushes and socks. The number of participants has substantially increased since 2005 earning the event a feature by Diane Sawyer on ABC News.

Here are some tips about what you’ll need for those who may be operating a Halloween Candy Buy Back event for the first time:

• ​​Scale to measure the candy
• One or more large containers to hold candy donations
• Plenty of one-dollar bills and/or goody bags with coupons, prizes, etc to hand out
• Toothbrushes or a token of thanks to give the children
• A notepad to record names and ages of kids as well as how much they donate
• A camera to take lots of memorable photos 
• Enthusiasm and a great attitude so that the event will be unforgettable!

If you have any questions about how we’re operating this event at our office or about the program in general, we’re happy to help!