Shoguns conduct annual cookie drive

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Omari Bernard
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  More than 50 volunteers gathered at the Rocker NCO Club on the mornings of Dec. 14 and 15 to package donated holiday cookies for the single military members living on Kadena Air Base.

The annual cookie drive is a long-standing tradition that spreads holiday cheer to service members living in dormitories by providing each of them with at least a dozen holiday cookies.

"It's my way of giving back," said Sabrina Hoffman, holiday cookie drive coordinator. "My husband was once a single Airman and my son-in-law is in the Army, I know people who are in this situation, and I like to give back and include the other spouses as well."

"This means a lot to the Airmen," Hoffman continued. "This isn't just for our Air Force; we provide cookies for the Army, Navy and Marines here. If we have leftovers, which often we do, we take those to the lodging for people who are temporarily deployed here as well."

The wing-sponsored drive collects normally more than 30,000 cookies over a period of two days from approximately 400 volunteer bakers around the base. Donation stations were set up at the Rocker NCO Club in order to collect a dozen cookies for approximately 2, 500 service members.

Cookie drive coordinator Angela Edwards, like many of the volunteers, also baked some of the cookies that they boxed for single service members.

Edwards said giving something as simple as a treat can impact resiliency. Knowing others care and are thinking about them makes service members feel good about themselves and feel better at work.

"It's like a well-oiled machine," she said. "It helps keep the mission going."

Master Sgt. Justin Stoltzfus, 18th Munitions Squadron first sergeant, has volunteered at the past two cookie drives and understands the purpose of the drive and baked eight dozen cookies himself.

"It lets the younger Airmen know that their leadership cares about them," Stoltzfus said. "I think 'people first, mission always'; they understand that we are thinking about them."

Senior Airman Dustin Bowie, 18th Wing Command Post emergency actions journeyman, appreciated the thoughtfulness of the cookies when he found out who they were from.

"I liked it," Bowie said. "I thought it was a really nice gesture. As a single Airman in the dorms I don't have anyone to make cookies for me and I can't cook."

For most Airmen, especially those at their first duty station, the cookies are a pleasant reminder that the Kadena community really is a home away from home.

"When they're down and out because of a bad day at work they can come home and see a box of cookies and think 'man someone's thinking about me," Stoltzfus said.

"We couldn't do this without all the volunteers," said Edwards. "Even though we bake a couple dozen ourselves, we couldn't do this without all the spouses taking the time out of their days to help."