JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
The holiday season can be a difficult time for Airmen living in the dorms, who are still getting used to being away from their families and may not even be able to go home for the holidays.
To spread some holiday cheer, volunteers from Team Charleston baked, bought, packaged and delivered holiday cookies to Airmen living in the dorms, Dec. 7-8, 2022, as part of Operation Cookie Drop.
“It’s nice that we still get thought about from time to time,” said Airman 1st Class Bayley Mckinney, 628th Contracting Squadron contracting specialist. “Airmen living in the dormitories can feel pretty forgotten and lonely, especially around the holidays; so little gestures like this make us feel appreciated.”
For many Airmen, this is their first time being away from family and friends during the holiday season.
“It’s important to create a sense of community and belonging here on base,” Mckinney said. “I think it’s especially important for Airmen living in the dormitories because we are all so far from our support groups.”
The Team Charleston community donated more than 3,000 cookies, both homemade and store-bought, to Operation Cookie Drop.
“It’s important to do events like these, especially at this time of the year,” said Jason Bateman, president of the Team Charleston Key Spouses club. “A lot of Airmen are away from their families for the first time, so we just want to show that we support them.”
After packaging all of the cookies, first sergeants from different squadrons delivered them the same day to Airmen living in the dormitories.
Whether Airmen are traveling home or staying in the local area, Operation Cookie Drop delivers a little taste of the holiday season.
“This was another way for us to say thank you to the Airmen,” Bateman said. “The Airmen do a lot of hard work around the base, so this event is one way for the community to show appreciation for all they do.”