Share Some Sugar, Macomb; Donate Part of Your Halloween Candy Haul to Charity

Did your kids’ Halloween sweets last well into Valentine’s Day last year? If that’s the case or even if you just want to get rid of some of the excess, consider donating the unwanted goodies to charity. 

Candy 4 Kids, offered annually by the Parks and Recreation Department, gives Macomb Township residents a chance to donate Halloween treats to the Macomb Charitable Foundation and/or the St. John Providence Health System Christmas store. Both charities distribute candy bags to needy families over the holidays. 

Residents may donate candy by dropping it off at the Recreation Center Nov. 1-19. There will be signs throughout the center and an orange labeled tub at the front desk for easy drop off.

“We started out the first year collecting candy for veterans, but then the local vet organization did not have the means to distribute the candy, so we contacted Macomb Charitable Foundation, a benefactor for several of our charity projects. Meanwhile, St. John contacted us for donations, too. Because of the generous response and outpouring from our community, we are able to give both charities approximately 50-60 pounds of candy,” said Michelle Duda, Parks and Recreation program leader. 

After the candy is collected, Parks and Recreation employees sort through it to pull out any Halloween or harvest-colored wrappings. The other candy – about 90 percent of what’s donated – will be placed into bags and given to families in need along with other Christmas gifts through the MCF or St. John. 

The candy is put to good use by both charities. Through the St. John Christmas store, more than 600 families receive stocking stuffer items such as hats, gloves, school supplies, coloring books, crayons and a bag of candy for each child, said Kelly Womer, of the Worklife Services department at St. John Hospital.