Leftover Candy? Dentist Will Buy It, Donate to Soldiers

A local dentistry office will collect leftover Halloween candy Thursday and Saturday to send to soldiers overseas.

ProSmile Dentistry in Foothill Ranch is again partnering with Operation Gratitude, an organization that mails care packages to American troops overseas.  

The office, located at Suite A at 26720 Towne Centre Dr., will buy back unopened Halloween candy for $1 per pound from children younger than 13 and donate it to Operation Gratitude to include in their packages.

In 2011, the Foothill Ranch office collected 500 pounds of candy, with donors traveling from as far away as Norco and Tustin, said ProSmile dentist Parisa Zarbafian.

This year the office is limiting the amount of candy each child brings to 25 pounds to allow more children to contribute to the office's ultimate goal of 500 pounds of candy, Zarbafian said.

Anyone interested in donating candy is invited to come by from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to get cash for their extra Halloween treats.