By Barbara Gillingham
During the Fourth of July weekend, the reminders of life in war-ravaged Iraq and those moments of silence on the evening news honoring the young men and women who have died had an especially heart-rending impact.
Sharing this concern, a friend of mine recently recalled sitting next to a serviceman on his way to duty in Iraq during a plane flight. From a discussion on their shared love of horses, they moved on to talking about how he felt being so far from home. Finally she asked, “What, if anything, can we do?” His reply: “Bake cookies.”
Most Americans support the men and women of the military regardless of their views on the politics surrounding the war. Sending cookies to the troops is a personal act of human kindness anyone can perform easily with some planning and knowledge.
You should not send salami or pork, alcohol or bulk religious messages to the Muslim Middle East. Tea is served often there, but coffee is still most popular with Americans - making homemade cookies, a definite hit.
The biggest obstacle to this project is the requirement that military packages be addressed to a specific person. If you do not know anyone overseas and would like a soldier to sponsor, consult the Internet. The site www.troopcarepackage.com offers suggestions for donations. Its author, Angel Ramsey of Morrisdale, Pa., can find you someone who would enjoy treats. Ramsey responded to my e-mail within a week with a soldier’s name and rank (sergeant), address (Fallujah) and length of stay (Dec. 12).
The most helpful Web site for sending cookies is a private group at www.treatthetroops.org run by Jeanette Cram, who calls herself the Cookie Lady. Go to the site and listen to patriotic music played on an organ while you view photos, stories, mailing instructions and encouragement to become a fellow “crumb” - a cookie baker for a soldier. Dedicated to goodwill, the closest Cram and her crumbs come to military action is a good-natured word of encouragement: “If the cookies are too hard by the time of arrival overseas, the soldiers can use them as weapons.”
Cram, who lives in Hilton Head, S.C., said she has baked more than 151,000 cookies for overseas “deployment” since she began her effort during the Gulf War in 1990.
She advises sending chocolate chip, oatmeal and peanut butter cookies or snickerdoodles because they are generally Americans’ favorites from childhood. During the hot months of May through September, M&M’s should be substituted for chocolate chips.
To keep the cookies fresh, bakers should add an additional ½ to 1 teaspoon of baking soda and underbake them by 1 minute. Pack them in sandwich baggies, not Ziplocs, six to a bag, to prevent damage. Extra plastic shopping bags make good cushioning. Cram emphasized that bakers should carefully label any cookies that contain peanuts or nut oil to prevent dangerous reactions in soldiers allergic to nuts.
It is nice to include a note thanking the soldier for his or her service and an e-mail address or self-addressed note and envelope for a reply. You can also ask the soldier for the names of buddies so you have more names to send more cookies.
Military shipment overseas is at the domestic rate. A shoebox-size priority mail box ($8.20) holds 5 dozen cookies. You must fill out a customs label. Mark it “gift, no return.”
You can get a free Care Kit 4, containing 8 boxes, 8 labels, 8 customs forms and a roll of priority tape within 10 days by calling (800) 610-8734.
Sending even one package is appreciated; a bigger commitment takes more time. There are a few shortcuts. Box pudding-cake mixes make baking easy. If short on time, you can supplement the box with store-bought cookies, hard candy and gum.
Try baking in dozens - a dozen for your family and a dozen for the freezer to send at a later date. You can also follow the Quaker dictum: “Many hands make light the work.” Form your own Crumb Club or take the idea to a monthly social meeting and suggest that each member bring a dozen cookies each month for a package. Including festive wrapping adds interest. After all, you are sending not just a cookie, but friendship in a box!
Pudding-Cake Mix Cookies
Choose extra-moist cake mixes with pudding in the mix. They bake quickly. You can add M&M’s to the chocolate cake mix. Spice cake mix goes well with nuts and raisins, and lemon pudding-cake mix is crispy and fine with lemon zest or candied ginger.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To the pudding-cake mix, add and mix:
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
Add ½ -1 teaspoon baking powder if mailing to humid climates.
*Optional: Add 1-2 cups M&M’s, nuts, raisins, lemon zest or candied ginger.
Roll into walnut-size balls and place on parchment-lined or greased cookie sheet. Press with a glass bottom dipped in sugar to form a flat cookie. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 9-10 minutes.
Check cookies during the last few minutes. Remove a minute early if you wish to underbake to retain freshness. Cool on a cookie rack. Pack 6 to a sandwich bag. Freeze in a freezer bag until ready to ship.
