What to do with leftover Halloween candy? Donate the treats to suburban charities

There's good news for parents and guardians worried about their trick-or-treaters overindulging on Halloween candy.

Donating excess treats to charitable organizations in the suburbs can help prevent cavities resulting from a surfeit of sweets and curb kids' sugar highs, which can persist as long as the candy stash exists.

Candy for the troops

For six years, the Doodle Bug Workshop, a Wheaton vocational training and adult day program for adults and teens with special needs, has collected candy donations for veterans organizations.

Beneficiaries include Wheaton VFW Post #2164; Support Over Stigma, an organization that assists veterans, active-duty service members and first responders coping with post-traumatic stress disorder; and Violets Kitchen, a mobile emergency kitchen that provides food and supplies for homeless veterans and others in need.

Donors contributed about 3,000 pounds of candy the first year of the initiative, which has since expanded to include personal care items, according to Doodle Bug Executive Director Sarah Starke.

Starke said the group also collects toiletries like toothbrushes, toothpaste and lip balm; new socks and gloves; and word search, crossword and Sudoku books, among other items.

Last year, donated items totaled more than 5,000 pounds. Sorting through those donations falls to Doodle Bug participants, who Starke said get a lot of joy out of prepping goodie bags for veterans.

Candy donations will be accepted through Nov. 11 at Doodle Bug Workshop, 314 S. Main St.; Wheaton City Hall, 303 W. Wesley; Wheaton Public Library, 225 N. Cross St.; Wheaton Park District, 1777 S. Blanchard St.; Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center, 800 St. Charles Road, Glen Ellyn; and B.R. Ryall YMCA, 49 Deicke Drive, Glen Ellyn. See doodlebugworkshop.com for details.

Also collecting candy for service members is Operation Support Our Troops-America. The donated candy will fill holiday stockings and care packages for active-duty U.S. Service members deployed around the world. Drop off donations at OSOT-America, 1989 University Lane, Suite A, Lisle, or Mailworks, 1807 S. Washington St., Suite 110, Naperville. See osotamerica.org/comfort-and-care-package-program for details.

Candy for kids

The Kids Pantry has operated out of Mount Prospect's Christian Life Church for 18 years, providing families in need with children's clothes, strollers, cribs, toys, bikes and other items. This time of year, clients who visit the pantry between 3:30 and 5 p.m. on Wednesdays receive goodie bags filled with donated Halloween candy.

Volunteer coordinator Heather Dymond says donors want to give back to their community, especially if they had a great Halloween haul.

The pantry, which serves about 100 families weekly, typically receives several thousand pounds of candy each year, Dymond said.

The pantry will accept Halloween treats “for as long as they continue to come in” to the shed behind the church at 400 E. Gregory St., Mount Prospect. See thekidspantry.org for details.

Candy for seniors

“My senior citizens enjoy trick-or-treating and getting candy more than the 100 kids (trick-or-treaters) who came to my house last week,” said Jacci Richards, executive director of The Fisher Outreach Group, a nonprofit organization in Crystal Lake that assists low-income seniors through its adopt-a-grandparent initiative and holiday meals.

The group also helps veterans and others in need, providing them with winter gear and other essentials.

“It’s an honor to be able to do what we do,” said Richards, one of the volunteers who make treat bags for more than 500 seniors and veterans residing in nursing homes, assisted living and other state-funded facilities.

Chocolate ranks highest along with Smarties and Bullseye caramels, candy that “reminds them of their childhood,” said Richards, who once offered sugar-free candies to her clients.

She won't make that mistake again.

“No one took the sugar-free stuff,” she said, laughing.

Fisher Outreach will accept Halloween candy through Dec. 7. Drop donations into the bins outside Suite 210 or Suite 107B at 8600 Route 14, Crystal Lake. See fisheroutreachgroup.com for details.

Donations to avoid temptation

Dr. Mike Thompson, a McHenry orthodontist, isn't exactly happy when his patients with braces consume candy. But he understands the challenge parents have keeping kids from eating treats.

So he and his fellow orthodontist, Dr. Michael Conlon, make it easy for them.

They are accepting Halloween candy donations for service members through Thursday, at their office, 4104 W. Crystal Lake Road, McHenry.

“Anything we can do to lower the sugar intake for kids is a good thing,” said Thompson, who says the practice typically collects between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds of candy annually.

Clients love it, said Thompson, adding that “parents are looking for a reason to get it (the candy) out of the house.”

In DuPage County, the Oak Brook Park District is partnering with Oakbrook Orthodontics to collect leftover Halloween candy to raise money for the Apparao (Rao) Devata Memorial Fund.

For every pound of candy donated, Oakbrook Orthodontics will donate $1 to the fund named for Devata, a parks enthusiast and avid pickleball player.

The money will help fund accessible outdoor pickleball courts to serve people of all ages and ability levels. People can drop off their candy at the park district's Family Recreation Center, 1450 Forest Gate Road, Oak Brook, or the Oak Brook Tennis Center at 1300 Forest Gate Road. See obparksfoundation.org/apparao-rao-memorial-fund for details.

bvitello@dailyherald.com