Operation Tooth Fairy reaps sweet rewards for local vets

Dan Persse dons a tooth fairy costume as a result of Operation Tooth Fairy. Courtesy of Dan Persse.

Students at the Blaine school district bundled up their Halloween candy for the annual Operation Tooth Fairy challenge.

Each year, kids are asked to bring in leftover candy to donate to United States military personnel. If kids brought in enough candy to out-weigh teacher Dan Persse, he had to dress up as the tooth fairy for the day.

This year, 500 kids in grades three through five participated in the challenge and brought in a total of 289.5 pounds of candy, exceeding the goal by more than 20 pounds.

U.S. Navy officer Tim Finkle accepts hundreds of pounds of candy donated by students.

In just seven years, the school has collected more than 1,920 pounds of candy through the challenge,

Persse said.

Mrs. Kamrath’s third grade class won first place with the most candy, Persse said. As a result, he dressed in costume and brought them apple cider and other healthy snacks to munch on while he read them a story. On November 8, students presented the candy to troops during a Veterans Day assembly.