Take the evil temptation out of leftover Halloween candy by putting it to good use

What’s not to love about Halloween? It’s an opportunity to put our creative and competitive juices to work coming up with even better-than-last-year costumes, and it’s an excuse to be silly or scary — to be someone or something we’re not. But evil lurks behind the pounds of candy we stock our cupboards with. Be honest, how early do the bags get broken into, supposedly just to “sample” the treats we’ll be giving out? Between the Halloween parties and trick-or-treating candy stashes (hanging around the house till Christmas, if you’re like us!), it’s the beginning of the end of this year’s healthy eating and diets — may they rest in peace.

Wondering what to do with all those tempting treats hanging around the house after the last of yesterday’s trick-or-treaters ring your bell? How can you drive a stake through the heart of the candy demons that tempt us after Halloween? There’s no better way to exorcise the ghosts that haunt our discipline and feed our cravings than to do good for others. In that spirit, we’ve put together a list of resources that will help you find a happy home, or at least a useful end, for your leftover candy. Several of the links are for military donations, and one is for finding a local Ronald McDonald House. Take a look through the links below, and see which option works best for you. Your dentist, and your scale will thank us…and you’ll no longer be afraid of those scary, tempting treats.

Soldiers Angels Treats for Troops — a variety of support for troops and their family members

Operation Gratitude — gathering and distributing treats for our troops

Operation Shoebox — candy donations for members of our military at home and worldwide

Halloween Candy Buyback — local businesses, often dentist offices, buy back candy; you can enter your zip to see if there’s a business close to you

Ronald McDonald House Charities — The Ronald McDonald House helps keep severely ill kids and their parents together during treatment. After Halloween, most locations accept donations of unopened candy for the families being served. You can search for your local chapter on the website but call ahead to find out the rules for dropping off candy.