Dr. Joseph Haddad, center, with his staff and the candy that they collected which will be sent to U.S. troops serving overseas.

For the fifth consecutive year, members of the U.S. Armed Forces serving abroad will be treated with candy donated by a local dentist’s patients.

As he has for the past quinquennial, Dr. Joseph Haddad of Advanced Dental Arts on Easton Avenue offered to pay for excess candy collected on Halloween.

This year, he said, people brought in more than 150 pounds of the sweet stuff.

Haddad was offering $2 per pound, but, he said, not everyone took the cash.

“Some people were super generous like over the last couple of years,” he said. “They didn’t want any money, they were just supporting the troops. Only a few people took some money, but the majority said oh no, it’s for the troops.”

Haddad estimated that over the past five years, he’s been able to send more than 700 pounds of candy to troops overseas.

The dentist said he does the collection as a thank-you treat to service members.

“I think it’s really nice to acknowledge the troops, what they’re doing for us,” he said. Even though I don’t want them to get any cavities either, it’s a once-a-year treat for them to have something from home that reminds them that we appreciate them and what they do for us, protect our country.”

“Our freedom and liberty that we have is because of them, so any little thing that we can do to support them is important,” Haddad said.