Helena businesses hosting Halloween candy buy back event

Published 2:00 pm Monday, October 24, 2016

By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA–Halloween is just a few days away and that means plenty of candy and for some trick-or-treaters–maybe even too much.

Instead of chunking the leftover Halloween candy in the trash, a few businesses in the Helena area are encouraging residents to come out on Friday, Nov. 4, between 3-6:30 p.m., for the second annual Halloween candy buy back event where the leftover candy will be shipped to troops deployed overseas in care packages through the Operation Gratitude organization.

The candy buy back will take place at Cahaba Dental Arts located at 100 Brook Drive, Suite A in Helena.

Cahaba Dental Arts, along with Jones & Associates LLC, Wolfe Orthodontics LLC and Alford & Barnes are all participating in the buy back program and for every one pound of candy brought in on Nov. 4, the businesses will give candy donators $1 per pound and will also donate another $1 per pound to the Birmingham Food Bank.

Operation Gratitude is a non-profit organization that sends more than 200,000 care packages annually to veterans, first responders, wounded heroes, soldiers and more.

The organization will disperse the candy into several packages and will also accept books, movies, video games, CDs and more in addition to candy.

Last year, the Helena businesses collected 55 pounds of Halloween candy in the buy back program and also included toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss in the care packages sent along with the candy.