East Dundee treats going worldwide
East Dundee bakers Roger and Diane Ahrens can boast their cookies and Rice Krispie Treats have been to remote regions of the world and delivered by everything from Army jeeps to donkeys.
The couple own Piece-A-Cake Bakery, where they have been running "Operation Sweettooth" for five years. In the program they bake, and with donations from families, mail the confectionery treats to men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
"We've sent packages to Walter Reed (Army) Hospital, to a military hospital in Germany to Baghdad and to Afghanistan," Roger said. "Usually, they get there anywhere from a week to 10 days. It's longer for some of the hilly sections of Afghanistan. There, they deliver the mail by donkey."
No matter how they reach their destinations or where they are going, the packages are worth the wait because they contain three to four dozen sugar and peanut butter cookies and Rice Krispie Treats. With help from senior citizens from Dundee Township and Elgin, they stuff the boxes with enough treats so the recipients can share them with their buddies.
"Since we've started in 2004, we've shipped 7,000 pounds all over the world," he said. "We'll ship from 10-20 boxes at a time."
The holidays are approaching and requests could increase. To ensure they reach the troops by Christmas, Roger suggested orders be placed at the North River Street bakery by the end of November so they can be shipped during the first weeks of December. They will make the treats for free, but a $20 donation will be requested to pay mailing costs.
Many of the requests come from Northern Illinois families, but publicity for the year-round program has attracted attention and requests from across the country.
"One woman called us from Florida and ask if we would make and ship her daughter a giant peanut butter cookie," Roger said. "We did and the daughter sent us a nice thank-you note with a photo of her holding the cookie."
They put it on the wall with the other thank-you notes and photos of troops standing in sand dunes, in army barracks or next to military trucks. No photos of donkeys have been sent yet.
The Ahrenses are former U.S. Marines who know the value of receiving mail from home. When that mail contains sweets, the value and excitement go up even more.
They have vowed to continue "Operation Sweettooth" as long as U.S. military men and women continue to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Ahrenses also own the Piece-A-Cake Bakery in Gilberts.
To contact them, e-mail PieceACakeBakery@aol.com or call their East Dundee store at (847) 836-6703 or their Gilberts store at (847) 426-1104.