NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- It’s beginning to feel a lot like the holiday season at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. On Dec. 13, more than 800 Nellis and Creech AFB dormitory residents came home to a plate of freshly baked holiday cookies.
The Nellis Area Spouses Club organized this year’s cookie drive to ensure Airmen living in the dorms would have homemade baked goods for the holidays.
Volunteers from the spouses club, first sergeants group and Airmen throughout the installation came together at the base chapel to accept baked goods donations, sort, fill plates, and wrap homemade goodies.
“The support has been amazing,” said Natasha Kattau, NASC social coordinator. “Our goal is to collect 850 dozen cookies, and we have exceeded that amount. Yesterday, we accept more than 650 dozen cookies at a northwest Las Vegas drop off location. Today, the commissary delivered 1,000 cookies, and we have been receiving cookies all morning from generous people in the local community.”
By the end of the morning, the community had donated over 12,000 cookies. The students at Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas stepped up the cheer, making cards for each cookie plate.
The holiday spirit was high at the chapel basement as the volunteers prepared the treats for Airmen away from home for the first time.
“It’s important we do the cookie drive to show our young Airmen that they have an extended family at Nellis and Creech and are not alone during the holidays,” said Master Sgt. Brandi Love, first sergeant for the 99th Comptroller Squadron, 99th Air Base Wing Staff Agencies and U.S. Air Force Warfare Center.
Once the cookies were sorted and wrapped, a team of volunteers knocked on dorm room doors and delivered a plate to each Airman.
Senior Master Sgt. Danyiell Lockwood, 57th Munitions Squadron first sergeant, delivered cookies to dorm resident Airman 1st Class Phillip Boler, 57th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, who enthusiastically said, “This is awesome, thank you very much.”
First responders from the 99th Security Forces Squadron, 99th Air Base Wing command post, Nellis and Creech Fire Departments, 99th Medical Group Emergency Room and 57th Wing aircraft maintainers also enjoyed cookies from the event.