Nellis and local community sweeten Airmen's holidays Published Dec. 4, 2012 By Senior Airman Jack Sanders NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Nellis and local community partners are joining together to donate more than 12,000 cookies for this year's annual Airman Cookie Drive. The Airman Cookie Drive is a tradition where donated confectionary delicacies are gifted to single Airmen living in the dormitories on Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases in an effort to bring the presence of family to Airmen during the holidays. The Drive has become a welcome tradition that is being implemented at more bases as time goes by, said Suzanne Lofgren, wife of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Lofgren and head of the Nellis and Creech AFBs senior-leader spouses organizing the cookie Drive. This year, Nellis and Creech AFB senior-leader spouses are organizing hundreds of volunteers and donations for the drive. Preparations for the event began in August and continue up until the day of the event to ensure every Airman is taken care of. "Every year we have hundreds of people who bake cookies for the single Airmen living in the dorms," said Suzanne Lofgren. "It's nice because it lets us show the Airmen we appreciate them and gives them a little taste of home." Those still wishing to donate cookies to the drive can drop off their baked goods at the Nellis AFB Chapel on Dec. 11 from 6 - 9 a.m. and at Creech on Dec. 10 from 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. From there, the confections, along with Christmas cards from a local elementary school, will be taken by the First Sergeants group to the dormitories and given to each Airman. "Any extras are given to Airmen working during the holidays, like security forces and fire fighters," Lofgren said. "The cookie drive is a family effort to show our care and support for the Airmen here," Lofgren said. "The whole base is involved with people baking cookies and children from the elementary schools writing Christmas cards to the Airmen." Those wanting to know more about the Holiday Cookie Drive, to find out about donations or to help participate in any other way can email Nelliscookiedrive@gmail.com.
