Responsible Ideas To Get Rid Of Leftover Halloween Candy
It’s been a week since Halloween and some parents are dealing with a common problem: What to do with all that candy. Whether your kid got more in their haul…
It’s been a week since Halloween and some parents are dealing with a common problem: What to do with all that candy. Whether your kid got more in their haul than they’ll ever be able to finish or you bought more than you needed for trick-or-treaters, you may have a lot of sweets on your hands. Fortunately, there are some organizations that can help you deal with your post-Halloween candy excess responsibly.
According to She Knows, here are some options for donating all those sweets:
- Treats for Troops - An organization called Soldiers’ Angels handles Treats for Troops, sending leftover Halloween candy to military bases, VA hospitals, and guard and reserve units worldwide. You can find dropoff locations using their map.
- Halloween Candy Buy Back - A dentist’s office and a PTO teamed up with Move America Forward Halloween to start the candy buy back program. A local business registers a buyback event, where you can drop off candy and get an actual payout, usually $1 per pound, and the candy is sent in care packages to deployed military members.
- Operation Shoebox - This group sends care packages to deployed soldiers year-round and includes candy in each one. You can mail it directly to Operation Shoebox and get more information about the program here.
- Local Organizations - If you’re looking for a place closer to home, check with homeless shelters, womens’ shelters and retirement homes, which may be happy to take your candy stash off your hands.
- Service workers - Police and fire departments, as well as ambulance drivers, EMTs and delivery drivers might enjoy a sweet pick-me-up. Leave a bowl on the porch with a note for delivery people to help themselves and drop off candy to first responders at their stations.
Best Wine To Drink With Your Favorite Halloween Candy
Being a grown-up means you can no longer put on a costume and parade around the neighborhood trick-or-treating for free candy, but adulting does come with perks like being able to buy the candy you want and drink wine with it.
Pedro Rusk, a wine educator at Jackson Family Wines, says to Shape "Pairing your wine with Halloween candy encourages you to savor each bite and take a moment to appreciate how the flavor intensifies with the perfect wine pairing." These are Rusk’s picks for pairing wine with popular Halloween candies according to Shape.
Hershey’s Kisses or bars and Cabernet Sauvignon
Whether you prefer dark or milk chocolate Hershey’s, this full-bodied red is an ideal match.
M&Ms and Merlot or Zinfandel
Both of these red wines are full-bodied and they’ll “complement the chocolate with rich, black fruit.”
Smarties and Rieslings
Sweeter white wines, like rieslings or muscats, work well with the tartness of Smarties. The rule to remember: Make sure your candy isn’t sweeter than your wine.
Starburst and Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc
It all depends on the flavor of the Starburst, apparently. For cherry and strawberry, Rusk recommends a “lush pinot noir or red blend,” because they have similar berry flavors. But if you’re more into the lemon and orange Starburst, a sauvignon blanc complements the citrus in both.
Raisinets and Zinfandel
The “plum and jammy flavors” in this red wine will round out the flavor of the chocolate-covered raisins.
Popcorn and Chardonnay
For those who prefer something salty over sweet, Chardonnay is the wine for this snack. Rusk suggests finding one aged in oak barrels, which give it the butter notes, similar to the flavors in popcorn.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Cabernet Sauvignon
A full-bodied red like a Cabernet Sauvignon is a good match for these sweet treats. The dark fruit flavors complement the nuttiness and the notes of cocoa in the wine work well with the chocolate.
