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Treats to troops: Wisconsin baker to send cookies overseas

Oct. 19--AUGUSTA -- Baker John Deering is hoping his newest concoction will deliver more than just sweet treats to local military personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Deering and other people and groups in Augusta have joined forces to send baked goods to the troops beginning next month.

Deering, a Chetek native, and his wife, Wendy (Brown), formerly of Fall Creek, took over ownership of Our Daily Bread bakery in Augusta about eight months ago.

“We got the idea from a bakery that does it in Illinois, who’s been doing it five or six years,” Deering said. “We visited them and decided we liked the idea so much that we decided we wanted to do it in this area.”

People are supposed to bring the name and address of a U.S. military member serving in one of those two countries, pay $20, and a package of baked goods will be sent to that person, Deering said.

Twelve of the $20 will cover shipping costs for the flat-rate box filled with five or six dozen cookies from Deering’s bakery.

“We’re not making a penny on this, but this is not a business thing at all,” said Deering, who used to run a restaurant in Ladysmith before moving to Illinois. “I’m a (Army) veteran and many others in my family (dad, sister, brother) have served. It’s just nice to do something nice for the troops, especially as the holidays come around.”

He’d like to get the first shipment out by Nov. 1.

There are plenty of others involved with the plan.

The Augusta Senior Center is making Rice Krispies bars, which will be used as packaging for the cookies, Deering said. “They will take a beating but still taste good,” he said with a laugh. “It’s nice to get others interested in this. I think people like to help out. This just gives them a chance to do that.”

Augusta American Legion Post 291 and its Auxiliary will be packaging the products and sending them overseas.

Darrell Arndt, a former commander at the post and now a contact person for the baked goods mission, said the effort has one main goal.

“The most important thing is for the troops over there to have some sense of appreciation from the people from their hometown,” Arndt said. “As minimal as this may be, they still want to know that they are being remembered.

”This is not a new concept,“ he added. ”One of our members said when he was in Vietnam and in the bush, they dropped packages out of helicopters and planes. There were just crumbs, but boy were they appreciated.“