Operation Cookie Cutter provides deployed Vance Airmen holiday cheer

  • Published
  • By Joe B. Wiles
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Fifty-five care-packages were prepared and mailed to Vance Airmen, currently deployed around the world, by 30 volunteers working out of the Airman & Family Readiness Center Thursday, Nov. 4. This is the 16th year for Operation Cookie Cutter.

The packages contained home-made cookies, holiday popcorn, candy, a stuffed animal and letters from the students at Eisenhower Elementary School on base and the 71st Flying Training Wing commander, Col. Russ Mack.

Members of the Officers' Spouses' Club, the Enlisted Spouses' Group, the spouses of senior leadership and the A&FRC staff spent four hours Thursday morning preparing and mailing the packages.

"There were more than 1,200 cookies brought in," said Greg Waide, the A&FRC director. "There were chocolate chip, peanut butter, no-bake cookies, all kinds."

"We even baked some here in the A&FRC kitchen," said Terri Presa, School Liaison Officer and Volunteer Coordinator at the readiness center.

The volunteers went through 600 plastic bags preparing the cookies for the care-packages. A new item included in the packages this year was popcorn to not only keep the cookies from crumbling, but also to provide another type of snack.

"One of the spouses went to Wal-Mart and bought 20 tins of the premade holiday popcorn with caramel, cheese and regular flavors," said Mr. Waide. Other new items for the packages this year were stuffed animals donated by the OSC Thrift Store on base.

"We wanted to send some holiday cheer to our deployed members," said Mr. Waide.

"We want them to know we're thinking about them," said Ms. Presa. "We're still their family you know.

"When we hear from the deployed folks, the part they seem to enjoy the most is getting the cards and letters from the elementary school children," said Ms. Presa. "We have some budding artists in the group that make the cards."