If you want to shorten your kids’ Halloween candy sugar high, or if you need to back away from the plastic pumpkin—let Great Clips take it off your hands.

Great Clips of Oak Lawn is collecting Halloween candy and other items for Operation Gratitude, an organization that sends care packages to military members deployed in hostile situations overseas.

Operation Gratitude’s Halloween Candy Buy Back program sweetens the lives of military members who are far from home. The organization hopes to send 60,000 care packages overseas, each worth between $75 to $100, and stocked with snacks, CD/DVDs, books, personal hygiene items and other small comforts from home.

Check out Oak Lawn's 2012 Halloween photo gallery.

Operation Gratitude needs a TON of candy. Last year, the program collected, packaged and shipped 125 tons. Dental offices and businesses are “buying back” Halloween candy all around the country to ship out to the troops.

Great Clips at 9621 S. Cicero Ave. will be collecting Halloween candy through Nov. 11. The salon is also accepting monetary donations to go toward shipping the candy to Operation Gratitude’s warehouse where each care package is lovingly assembled.

For every candy donor, Great Clips is offering $3 off every haircut.

In addition to candy, Great Clips is collecting personal hygiene items for military members, including:

• Commercially sealed Lip Balm, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, mouthwash
• Beanie Babies/WebKinz or other small stuffed animals
• Hand-Knit/Crochet Scarves and Hats
• Socks (dark colors are best)
• Small packages Beef Jerky
• Energy/Protein Bars
• Individual Packets of Hot Cereal
• DVD's / CD's

And while you’re packing up your candy and other donations, you may want to throw in a letter of appreciation thanking that brave man or woman for putting themselves in harm’s way for our freedom.

According to a recent study, the average American trick-or-treater collects 91 pieces of candy. Unless you think your child needs to eat 91 pieces of candy, talk to your kids about donating some of it to Operation Gratitude. It's going to a great cause.

Drop off Halloween candy and other items at Great Clips, 9621 S. Cicero Ave., Oak Lawn, through Nov. 11. Great Clips is also accepting monetary donations to defray shipping costs.

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