Baking cookies for soldiers

What started out as a few dozen cookies being sent to soldiers has quickly grown into more than 50 dozen cookies sent out this year.

However, before the thought of baking cookies even crossed Green River resident Cheryl Jensen's mind, she started sending soldiers Christmas cards.

"We have a son that's still in the military. I call him a lifer, he went in at 18," Cheryl explained.

Shane Jensen, Cheryl's oldest son joined the Army when he was 18 and remains in the Army today.

Scott Jensen, one of Cheryl's other sons spent eight years in the Army, while her son-in-law David Herder, has been in the Air Force for more than 25 years. Her 18-year-old grandson Rhett Jensen just enlisted in the Army.

"We've pretty much been around the military our entire life," Cheryl explained. "We're not particular about any kind of branch."

The idea of sending cards came after her son, Scott, was stationed in Korea. She said when he came home all he kept saying was how sorry he felt for those soldiers serving who never received a single piece of mail the entire time they were there.

Cheryl had heard enough; and vowed to stop that from happening.

She started sending Christmas cards to anyone who gave her a soldier's current address.

"Everybody that sends us an address, it doesn't matter if they are a girl or a boy, if we know them or not, will receive a card," Cheryl said. "It's important for those kids to receive mail."

Next, she started sending care packages and cards, which usually were sent around Christmas. However, if Cheryl has a current address she is know to put a card in the mail anytime of the year.

"If I have an address just out of the blue I will send a "thinking of you" type (card,)" she said.

With all of the cards and care packages being sent, one would think Cheryl was done, but then the idea of sending cookies was born.

My son started asking me to send him cookies, which she thought was odd since he isn't the biggest cookie fan. He told her he wasn't eating them, he was trading them to locals so they would wash his laundry for him.

"Then, we do this baking thing in the spring," she said casually.

For the past four years, Cheryl has baked cookies, which are sent to soldiers oversees.

"I've been baking for four years, but not to this extent," Cheryl said. "The list just got bigger and bigger."

The first year, Cheryl baked about three dozen cookies, the second year is was four dozen, while the third year she made about 10 dozen, but this year she will have 50 to 60 dozen cookies baked, packaged and ready to be sent by Friday.

"A lot of times they didn't go out at the same time, if I got a name I sent a dozen," Cheryl said.

Cheryl used to make all of the cookies from scratch, but when she started receiving so many names and addresses, she decided to buy cookie dough from a Green River Co-op Preschool fundraiser. She bought $600 worth of cookie dough, which included 15 tubs weighing about 3 pounds and 10 cookie trays. Some of the cookies she baked were sugar, chocolate chip, monster, macadamia, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin and lemon.

"It's been a real time saver for me," Cheryl said.

Since starting the cookie project, Cheryl has had to alter her schedule to fit in all of the baking. A typical morning has her waking up at 4 a.m. and getting ready for work. She then heads to the kitchen and turns on the oven. While the oven is preheating, Cheryl checks her Facebook page and email to see if she received anymore soldiers' names and addresses.

The baking process starts all over again. When she has a whole bunch of cookies made her husband, Ted, puts them in the United States Postal Service boxes and tapes them shut.

At this point she is afraid she may run out of dough, but if that happens she will just start making them from scratch again.

She enjoys baking the cookies and was glad that she can do a lot of her work on her cell phone.

"But sometimes life gets in the way and I have to go back to work," she said. "Someone asked the other day why I do this and I just said 'I just like my house to smell good,"'

Cheryl's deadline is Friday, if people want someone they know serving overseas to receive a dozen of cookies, then they need to email or call Cheryl with their name and correct address. Her email is Cherylj@wyoming.com; and her phone number is 307-870-5500.