TSAC cookie bake-A-Thon

http://www.pinecam.com/phpBB2/viewtopic ... 46#1313246


"Last Sunday - after the VFW Post 8661 "Famous Breakfast" - Troop Support Action Committee (TSAC) members and volunteers got on with baking a mountain of cookies!

TSAC is grateful for the willingness of the VFW to let us use the Community Center at Shawnee for this event. Having a proper facility gives us a quantum increase in productivity.

A bit over 185 DOZEN cookies were mixed, baked, packed and shipped off to three "adopted" combat units in Afghanistan.

Here are photos of that work in progress...

Necessary ingredients for cookies were piled on a table and sorted for the "mixologists" to turn into dough ready for baking.
This is bdog and Dimplszzz organizing ingredients.


With five Kitchen Aid mixers working, it didn't take long to get baking sheets headed to the ovens.
This photo was taken just after the question, "Is this mixing bowl large enough to make a double batch?"


bdog took over the mixing space in the large kitchen. He must do "stand-in" for one of Santa's elves in his spare time.


When bdog got ahead in the mixing duties, he, bdogsgal and neptunechimney got rolling (literally) on balling up the dough and loading baking sheets.
In the background are JMiller (volunteer), RailBuf and Mrs. BGR.


Once the baked cookies started flowing from the kitchen a decision on how to handle them was needed.
Beyond this cooling rack of yummy M&M sugar cookies are RailBuf and Mrs. BGR making a packing plan.


Here is RailBuf stuffing zipper bags with baked cookies.
Each bag was labeled with the type of cookie so any troops with a nut allergy would be warned of the ingredients.
In the background are Lo-bay Lady and bdogsgal hard at work.


Several volunteers worked alongside TSAC members in a long afternoon getting this event completed.
Here is Susan G. taking the "heat" in the kitchen. This VFW Community Center has two large commercial grade ovens that make this event possible.


Here is our youngest (but incredibly useful) volunteer, Xandra P., putting her caring touch on cutout sugar cookies.
Sprinkles of color and sprinkles of love for the troops!


It was a couple of hours after sunset by the time the baking was completed.
Just before packing that afternoon's bounty, TSAC members posed with the stacks of clamshell boxes loaded with baggies of cookies.
(L-R) BeerGodROX, RailBuf, neptunechimney, Lo-bay Lady, Dimplszzz, neptunechimneygal, and bdogsgal put in a hard seven hours on the Bake-A-Thon.
This is what 113+ dozen cookies (baked that afternoon) looks like!


I have to say that it was not all brutal work under harsh taskmasters.
TSACrs know how to add a "sip" of fun to the day with a little help from Evan!
One has to think about how to cleanse the palate so that various cookei batches can be "tested" for edibility!


The Ladies Auxiliary of VFW Post 8661 brought 29 dozen home-baked cookies to the morning's breakfast.
These were beautifully made and in Holiday cookie tins.

bdogsgal took home several large batches of cookie dough.
She baked until 4am Monday to get them ready for packing!
She added 43 dozen cookies to the shipment with that effort!

This is the important part...
This is what became of the Bake-A-Thon effort!
This is 15 boxes ready to go into the Postal system and off to Afghanistan.

11 of these boxes are headed to sons (and their troop units) of navycpo7 and Bailey Guns.
Four boxes are going to Adam who used to work for the BGRs at Bailey Liquors. He became a Recon Marine after working as a Deputy with Park County Sheriff's Office.
All of these brave young men are now in one of the "hottest" sectors of Afghanistan.
We are truly blessed to have such men of character and courage doing their duty for us!



The "supply chain" to Afghanistan is heavily loaded with important and needed material.
We hope that these cookies make it to them before Christmas.
Even if they are late, those troops will know that there are folks back home who really CARE about their welfare and service.

Special THANKS go to Bea and John Everest for the donation of a storage locker at Pine Junction.
More THANKS go to Pinecam topper for the use of Creative Coverings workshop (for packing donated goodies) near the storage lockers at Pine Junction.

TSAC is incorporated as a "small charity" under IRS 509(a)(2) and contributions are tax deductible.
Collection boxes for donated goodies are located at the front doors of King Soopers and Safeway.
You are welcome to drop items in these boxes.
We will pick them up and send them off to the troops.
Cash donations should be made payable to: TSAC and mailed to: TSAC, P.O. Box 1033, Bail;ey, CO, 80421-1033.
_________________
Life is TOO SHORT to drink CHEAP BEER!

BeerGodROX

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This just came in from Kyle (son of Bailey Guns) and it sounds like the cookies arrived in pretty good shape!

Hey guys!

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. I did receive 5 boxes of goodies from you and TSAC around the 20th of November. Everything arrived undamaged except some of the plastic containers the cookies were in were crushed. But since the cookies were also in plastic bags they were just fine. Thank you very much!!! Of course I shared them with the Army guys I work with. The cookies were delicious!!! Task Force Bison (1-10 CAV) and I would like to say thank you very much for the care packages and your support!!!

Kyle

I'm really HAPPY to report that this brave young man (and highly decorated United States Air Force soldier) will be heading home within a few days of Christmas!
There is nothing "cushy" about his time of service. He is out in the "badlands" exposed to enemy fire and ready to rain down "hell" on those who wish to meet Allah!
We thank God that we have men like him on our side!
_________________
Life is TOO SHORT to drink CHEAP BEER!


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