Riley Avenue candy buyback nets more than 500 pounds of candy for troops

Riley Avenue Elementary School students participated in a “Halloween Candy Buy Back” sponsored by East End Orthodontics dental office. The students at Riley collected 538 pounds of candy to send to the soldiers overseas.

Art teacher Melissa Haupt and the Riley Avenue Student Council helped coordinate the effort. “It was a huge success,” Haupt said.

Dina Reilly, a patient advocate from the orthodontics office, came to Riley Avenue to weigh the candy the students gave up from their Halloween stash. Doctor Bach and Doctor Grazina, who run the practice, offered to pay for the shipping costs to send the candy overseas and to reward the students for their generosity by buying the candy from them.

“The candy isn’t just for the soldiers. The soldiers give it to the children they meet during their deployment, so a lot of it goes to kids all around the world. Our students loved that idea,” Haupt said.

The second grade classes brought in the most candy at 133 pounds. The second graders will receive a special physical education class featuring “old fashioned” games as a prize. The Student Council will receive a check for $250 for the candy, which will be used to help defray costs for a year-end social event for the fourth grade.

“We ask the kids to also make cards for the soldiers,” Reilly said. “This year we have a record amount of handmade cards from students all over eastern Long Island.”

In a letter to a solider, students Max and Marin Reichenbach wrote, “I hope you like the candy that we are sending. Thank you for helping our country. How is being a soldier going? What does the weather look like? What to you wear? What do you eat? Thank you again for all you do to keep our family safe.”

Source: Riverhead Central School District press release.