Rose Hill woman serves country from kitchen

Last Update: 7/03 2:50 pm

Print Story |

WICHITA, Kansas – As we prepare to celebrate our Independence Day, one Rose Hill woman is serving her country in the kitchen.

When it comes to making cookies, Merry Debbrecht doesn’t mess around.

"Five cups of flour in this, I actually have one that takes nine,” she said.

She even had to upgrade to a bigger mixer to better handle her bounty of batter. But Merry isn’t baking for herself or a small business. Every cookie is headed overseas to a serving soldier.

“It’s really kind of a small thing I do, but they sure seem to like it so I'll keep doing it,” she said.

She started her cookie campaign in January 2005 when her grandson deployed to Iraq and she hasn’t stopped since.

On an average day Merry will bake up about 20 dozen cookies. Add it up and that’s 1,200 cookies a week and since she started the project five years ago, she figures she's sent over more than 200,000 cookies.

Her latest shipment is headed to the 287^th Sustainment Brigade from Salina.

"They are one of the last that have a 15-month tour, they've been over there a long time already,” she said.

The guard unit should get all 183 dozen cookies in time for the holiday as well as a few other goodies.

"They wanted some noise makers, so I got them some noise makers,” Merry said.

Merry does get help from a few other bakers and their care packages rarely go unnoticed. In fact, Merry saves every letter and gift she gets from the troops.

"I wanted to say thank you for your kindness in sending the cookies to us,” she read from a letter. “It is people like yourself that let us know that we are not forgotten and that there are people back home who support us in our duty.”

That’s why Merry returns to her kitchen every morning, when the summer heat reaches 100 degrees.

"They are enduring 115 degrees right now, and it will get much worse, so I certainly can't complain if my kitchen is a little warm from baking,” she said.

And she won’t stop until every soldier is back home.

Merry does get a few donations to help with her cookie campaign, but most of it comes out of her own pocket. If you’d like to help, e-mail Merry admerryirish@earthlink.net.

Add a Comment

(3) Comments

To Email:
Your Name:
Your Email:
Message:
	Send a copy to my email