A&FRC bring dorm residents a taste of home

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William O'Brien
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  With the holidays quickly approaching and more than 225 Airmen and Marines residing in the dorms, away from their families, the Airman & Family Readiness Center held its annual cookie drive to bring them a taste of home.

Attempting to spread holiday cheer to those who need it, support from the Red Cross and the Commissary allowed for the A&FRC to go above and beyond anything they could've ever imagined, by donating 4,200 cookies to the effort.

"Since all the people in the dorms are away from home, the cookie drive was a way to make them feel at home again, by giving them all homemade cookies," said Bethany Wetherell, A&FRC Transition Assistance manager.

After spreading the word that they needed cookies, the Red Cross responded with a resounding 100 dozen. Residents from across the base joined in the effort, providing an additional 250 dozen of their own homemade treats.

"On our side, this was very easy. Once we advertised we were going to have the Cookie Drive, the Red Cross donated 100 dozen and the rest we're donated to us from base employees and family members," said Mrs. Wetherell. "All we had to do is provide them with a place where they could sort them and package them up."

After receiving the cookies, A&FRC personnel and volunteers needed a way to package and distribute them. The assistance came from the Commissary, which donated trays and saran wrap and Edwards First Sergeants Council, who delivered the packages to the dorm rooms of Edwards Airmen and Marines, along with various deliveries to shift workers.

"I would like to thank all of our volunteers for both the time and cookies they donated," said Ms. Wetherell. "I would also like to thank the Commissary for the packing supplies they provided us and the Red Cross for all the cookies."

The task of readying more than 4,000 cookies took the A&FRC only two hours because of the support they received from volunteers.

"This was wonderful. It was overwhelming -- the actual help we got -- because after cookies were donated, we had volunteers come in to sort them and put them all together," said Mrs. Wetherell.

Once they were finished packaging the cookies for delivery, the volunteers decided to distribute the leftover cookies to some base organizations that operate unusual hours.

"A few of the volunteers also volunteered to deliver (the extras) and they took cookies out to the three gates, the fire department and the air traffic control tower," she said.

The A&FRC, whose mission is to support servicemembers and their families, adapt to the demands of the Air Force, hosts events throughout the year to provide Airmen with assistance in everything they encounter during their careers.

"We're here for the Airmen, their family members and the civilian employees on base," she said. "We support them throughout every aspect of their careers, from the time they first arrive here to when they're out processing."