Dentist offers a sweet deal: Cash for candy

Cary Blumberg is letting trick-or-treaters take a bite out of his profits this Halloween.

The Bensenville dentist is paying cash to anyone who turns over some of their candy.

He's giving donors $1 for every pound of sweets that they drop off at his Bensenville practice Wednesday and Thursday. He'll even throw in a free toothbrush for a healthy measure.

The treats Blumberg collects, plus a few pounds of sugary confections out of his own coffers, will be shipped next week to U.S. troops in Iraq.

"I've been doing the toothbrush giveaways for awhile," Blumberg said. "But this year, I wanted to up it. Everyone benefits, and the troops know we're thinking about them."

In addition to sending candy overseas, Blumberg will match every dollar he gives out for the candy in an equal contribution to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, an organization that supports programs and works to increase awareness of the challenges facing the world's children.

"It's a win-win situation for everybody," said Blumberg, who has operated his dental practice in Bensenville since 1981.

The charitable idea occurred to the dentist after speaking with one of his patients, a military veteran.

But he's not the only local dentist to offer this sweet deal.

Dr. Hitesh Patel will be collecting candy from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday at Naperville's The Art of Dentistry, 1060 E. Ogden Ave.

Patel also will pay donors $1 for every pound of unopened candy they bring in on that day. The candy will be sent overseas, too.

In either case, it's not required to be a patient.

Donors can drop off candy at Blumberg Family Dental Care between 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The practice is located in Bensenville's Plaza de Campana at 229 W. Grand Ave., 2nd floor, Suite W.

For more details, call (630) 860-5544.