Help the cookie lady support the troops
By Staff
Kim West, Franklin County Times
If you've ever been away from home, then you know how much it helps to receive a phone call, letter or care package. Imagine being in a hostile, dangerous country with limited access to phones, the Internet and daily comforts. This is the challenge currently facing thousands of our troops during their deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
I have a deep appreciation for the men and women that serve our country, especially those that have to be away from their homes and families for extended periods of time, including the holidays. I have friends who couldn't go a weekend without seeing their families and friends, and I would be a very sad 25-year-old if I had to miss Thanksgiving at my Uncle Pat's and Christmas at home in Athens.
Some people argue that American soldiers have chosen to fight since they join the armed forces voluntarily, but I'm not sure it is as simple as that. I think most soldiers join the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard or Marine Corps because they are trying to improve their lives. The decision to deploy does not rest with them, and soldiers have to follow orders that are a result of decisions made by politicians that we voted into office.
Many Americans place "Support the Troops" magnets on their cars, put the troops in their prayers or display the U.S. flag at their homes, but it can be hard to figure out a tangible way to help the soldiers.
In 1990 during the first Gulf War, a 65-year-old grandmother in Hilton Head, S.C. heard about a soldier's request for cookies. Since then, Jeanette Cram and her helpers have been responsible for sending more than half a million cookies to the Middle East. But Cram needs our help because her team of volunteers can't fill every request for cookies from soldiers stationed overseas.
On her Web site www.treatthetroops.org, Cram writes: "Due to the enormous number of requests and our limited resources, I strongly urge family, friends and (community) leaders to organize cookie bakes in your communities. Every request is read, and we regret that we cannot honor or respond to all of them."
To help out with unfilled cookie requests, e-mail Cram at cookielady@treatthetroops.org.
In an American Profile magazine article this spring, Cram mentioned the need for an industrial mixer that would allow her to mix more cookie dough. Her non-profit organization, Treat the Troops, also accepts donations to defray costs. (Treat The Troops, 22 Wing Shell Lane, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926).
If you have a little extra dough, why not send it to the cookie lady and help support our troops?
