Right now, many of you are on candy-overload. Halloween just ended and you probably have heaps of sweets in your home. If you’re like me, you’re probably even munching away while reading this.

Of course, the candy is definitely a novelty at first and children and adults (me) may go a little overboard the first few days (or everyday).

So, what do we do with all the candy? Many people bring it to work or serve it at gatherings for the next few months. Surprisingly, some people actually throw out their candy after awhile. And, not that I would ever have enough leftover candy to do this, but other people actually donate their extra candy. I called some moms to find out what they do with their kids’ candy and I also called around to find out where to donate extra candy.

“We keep all the candy. The kids eat it all the time at first and then they slowly forget about it. I sneak whatever I want for at least 6 months but all the good stuff will be long gone by then anyway.” Jamie, mom of kids ages 5, 5, 8 and 10.

“We’re the house that all the kids come to after they’re done trick-or-treating. We do a whole trade thing. They all negotiate and divide up things and the kids with allergies trade for non-allergy items. I let my kids keep all the candy. We keep it on a top shelf in the kitchen but I know they sneak some up to their room. I definitely go begging for the Reese’s and the Dots.” Gail, mom of kids 5 and 10.

“They eat half and donate half. Truthfully, I eat the candy, too. They always put my favorites on the side for me.” Jackie, mom of kids 11 and 13.

“I do the traditional things—sort it out on the floor, categorize it, trade and put it in a big bowl. The kids are allowed to have three pieces a day and then I might also stick a small piece like a Starburst in their lunchbox. Of course, I eat some too.” Tina, mom of kids 9 and 11.

“I let them be excited and eat a lot of it for the first few days and then they kind of forget about it. In about January I throw the rest out. I take whatever I want, too.” Elizabeth, mom of kids 5 and 8.

“They get one piece in their lunch and one piece at night. The chocolate is gone first because that’s the family favorite. I bring the icky stuff to work and someone always eats it. We make the whole thing into a math game with estimating, sorting, counting, etc.” Lynn, mom of kids 5 and 9.

“I ration the candy. It never all gets eaten and then I just throw it away around January. I donate all the leftover stuff we gave out to the trick-or-treaters. I try not to eat the candy but I do give in to my favorites.” Joan, mom of kids 6 and 8

“We take it all and dump it in to one big bowl. The kids like to eat a few pieces every day and then I end up keeping a little and donating the rest. Usually before the donation, my sister comes over, eats about 25 pieces of candy and yells at me that I’m being too stingy with my candy distribution to my children.” My sister, Julie, mom of kids 7 and almost 9.

A few Halloween extremists:

“I don’t let my kids eat anything with food coloring like suckers, taffy, sweet tarts, etc. We don’t have any food in our house with color. After the first few days I start thinning out the pile and after about a week it just disappears. I pick out what I want before I throw it out. The kids lose interest anyway so they don’t even notice. I let them eat the chocolate or caramel ones because at least the chocolate has a little bit of protein.” Suzanne, mom of kids 6 and 8.

“The night of Halloween the kids sort the candy into categories and figure out what they want and don’t want. A few weeks later I stick it in a drawer and, although I probably shouldn’t say this, I give it out for Halloween the next year. I also sometimes raid that drawer for my own candy emergencies.” Anonymous, mom of kids 7 and 10.

And now, on to the candy donations:

Kathy Garcia, Chief Secretary at the Palatine Police Department, will be collecting leftover candy for the Yellow Ribbon Support Group-Care Package Senders to America’s Defenders. “Every Wednesday night we meet and send packages to the troops,” says Kathy. “Last year we got over 2000 pounds of candy.” Candy can be brought in at any time of year because, as Kathy puts it, “We’ll be sending packages until everybody comes home.”

There will be a collection box outside of Kathy’s office at the Palatine Police Department, 200 East Wood Street, Palatine. For more information call Kathy at 847-359-9011 or go to www.yellowribbonsg.org.

Next, anyone is welcome to bring leftover candy to Vernon Township and Wheeling Township, which helps families-in-need who live within our area.

Vernon Township Administrative Building
3050 North Main Street
Buffalo Grove

847-634-4600, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday.

Wheeling Township
1616 North Arlington Heights Road
Arlington Heights

847-259-7730, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday.

Another place that will accept leftover Halloween candy is the Claremont Rehab and Living Center. They are located at:

150 North Weiland Road
Buffalo Grove

Candy can be dropped off at the front desk. For more information call 847-465-0200.

Lastly, P.A.D.S of Lake County (Public Action to Deliver Shelter and Supportive Services) runs a crisis service and has an emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness. You can drop off your candy from 7 am to 7 pm 7 days a week at:

3001 Green Bay Road
Building 5
North Chicago

For more information call Sandy Stephens at 847-689-4357, extension 104.

Well, even though I’ve never actually had any “extra” Halloween candy in the past, my thighs would appreciate if I donated at least a little bit this year! Do you have any suggestions for future topics? If so, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

© 2007 Susan Dubin, Buffalo Grove, Illinois