fb-pixelDonate leftover candy to troops - The Boston Globe Skip to main content
Wellesley

Donate leftover candy to troops

A local dental office will collect leftover Halloween candy and donate it to US soldiers deployed overseas. Dr. Femina Ali, a dentist who runs the Wellesley Dental Group, said the office received a record 5,260 pounds of candy in last year’s collection. Donations can be dropped off at the office, at 5 Seaward Road, starting Friday and continuing through Nov. 8, after which the Weymouth-based nonprofit CarePacks will tote the sweets off in a U-Haul and bundle it into care packages. The dental office will host a costume party Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with food, games, prizes, and free toothbrushes. Ali said she set up the candy collection about six years ago to discourage tooth decay, at first even offering kids $1 per pound. But the initiative grew in popularity, and after discovering that local food pantries would not accept candy, Ali decided to donate it to the troops. This year, Ali is offering a $500 prize to the Wellesley public school that collects the most candy for the initiative. Ali said she expects to see thousands of pounds again this year. For more information on the drive or the Halloween party, visit www.wellesleydentalgroup.com.