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MOSES LAKE — At a dollar per pound, dentist Craig Harder has spent more than $900 buying candy for the past three years.

He plans to draw out at least $700 one-dollar bills from the bank for this year’s candy purchase.

“The bank likes to know ahead of time when I’m coming, so they can get all the one dollar bills ready,” said Harder in his Moses Lake dentistry office.

He’s not buying candy to give to trick-or-treaters; he’s buying candy from them.

For the fourth year, Harder will be collecting all kinds of sugared delights from trick-or-treaters the day after Halloween for care packages sent to troops overseas.

Dubbed the Halloween Candy Buy Back, the dentist is giving candy sellers one more incentive to participate.

“This year, we’re going to make it two dollars per pound,” said Harder.

“We want to fill their banks instead of their teeth,” program organizer Robyn Ramirez added.

Harder said he got the idea to start a candy buy-back from another dentist in Wisconsin.

“There are hundreds of dentists across the county doing this and I wanted to start this program in Moses Lake,” said Harder.

The first year he started the program, Harder recalled keeping $200 on hand.

“Then, I just kept having to go back to the bank to get more money,” he said.

Ramirez sends the collected candy to an Ephrata group that organizes the packages.

Harder said he hopes the program will be as successful, if not more successful than past years.

“I want kids to participate in this program of giving candy to give to the troops,” he said.

Harder said he is not worried that the success of the program will deter business.

The buy back program was “right up the dentistry alley,” according to Harder.

“Dentistry is a preventative practice. To have kids give up their candy for a good cause helps everyone all around,” he said.

In addition to collecting candy, Harder said the dentist office is collecting cards for overseas troops.

Many kids who participate in the program don’t do it for the money, he said.

“The kids do it to help the troops and write cards for them. Sometimes they are so excited just to write the cards that will be sent to the troops,” said Harder.

He remembered hearing the story of a Moses Lake trooper stationed in Afghanistan passing out candy to the village kids from the program.

“We want to encourage kids to give back to others. Our goals are to have kids have Halloween night to sift out the candy they want and then bring us what they don’t want,” said Harder.

The candy buy back day is Monday, Nov. 1 from noon to 7 p.m.

Moses Lake Family Dentistry located at 975 E. Nelson Rd. in Moses Lake.

For more information, call 509-765-4351.