Cookies bring holiday home to the Tinker dorms

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Remember the holidays as a child? The smell of cookies baking filled the house with a wonderful aroma. For many young Airmen, the taste of a delicious cookie can bring back happy memories of home and let them know someone is thinking of them this holiday season.

This year a group of senior leadership spouses got together to organize the Team Tinker Cookie Drive, collecting cookies for single Airmen living in the dorms.

Organizers sent out a call to all bakers, requesting homemade cookies be dropped off at one of four locations on Dec. 11: the Community Center, 552nd Air Control Wing, Navy Headquarters and the Airman and Family Readiness Center. A drive and drop location was even made available for convenience at the A&FRC for those wishing to stay in their cars.

Rosemary Herman, secretary to 552nd Air Control Wing Commander Col. Jay Bickley, dropped off lots of cookies and powdered sugared brownies that she and her daughter, Senior Airman Hannah Herman, from the 507th Air Refueling Wing, spent time baking together. Ms. Herman said this is her third or fourth year doing this.

Mitzi Carter, who was dropping off her second delivery of the day, said, "This is absolutely genius." Kathy Little also took time to drop off loads of frosted and decorated cookies.

"We wanted to give everyone who wants to do something a way to help the Airmen," said Lisa Wood, one of the drive's coordinators. And the Tinker community came through in a big way. The group hoped to have enough cookies to put together 700 to 800 bags. At the end of the day, nearly 6,000 cookies were dropped off; enough for 720 bags. Cookie bags were delivered to the dorms' day rooms on Dec. 12, so the Airmen could pick them up at their convenience.

"We hope that an organization will come forward and adopt this as their own project so there can be some cohesiveness from year to year," said Theresa Humphrey, a cookie drive coordinator.

Organizers said they were happy to spread some good cheer. What better way to do that than with a bit of love from the oven.

Note found in the dorm:
Thank you so much for providing these for us and taking the time to bake them! They're delicious and being homemade makes them special. I can buy Oreos and Keeblers until I get sick, but I don't have mom around to make real cookies like these.
-- With gratitude,
An Airman