Treats for Soldiers

Treats for Soldiers started today. What is Treats for Soldiers you may ask?...Well let's start with the obvious...we make treats and give them to soldiers.

History of...
Last year my mom handed me a book and said it was really good. I needed to read it, so I did. It is called, "Once Upon A Town, The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen," by Bob Greene. Awesome book. It talks about the small town of North Platte, Nebraska. During WWII, the townspeople figured out that all military personal being transfered from East to West or West to East, went through their little town (center of the U.S.). As did every town and city across our country, thy had children, fathers, sons, uncles, cousins and neighbors who were away serving their country. To honor their loved ones, and to serve the loved ones of others who passed through their town every day, they decided to set up a canteen. The people of North Platte and their surrounding communities took over the resturant at the train station (with the blessing of the train company) and set up huge tables of all manner of food and drink for every single soldier who passed through...ALL For FREE. Mind you, every single person who donated food, was rationed. There are stories of people giving their sugar, their flour, their eggs, etc. to make pastires. There were sandwiches of every kind, hard boiled eggs, cakes, pies, coffee, water etc. A piano was set up in the resturant. Sometimes people from North Platte would come in and play for the soldiers and sing with them. Sometimes a soldier would play. Birthday cakes were made every day because every day was someone's birthday. No soldier went without a cake on his birthday, when he passed through North Platte. There is story after story of sacrifice just to feed these soldiers. The trains would start as early as 5 a.m. and sometimes the last train would pull out at 2 a.m. Each train would have anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes at the North Platte station before moving on either East or West. There was a story of one mother who, after receiving the news that her son died in Europe, took a couple of weeks off from the Canteen, then came back and was there every day after that. She decided there was nothing more she could do for her son but she could do something for the sons of others who went through her town every day.

After reading a book like this, it calls you to action. It dares you to look at your life and examine it. In this time of propserity(yes even our recession is a time of prosperity) this book make you ask, what have I done to give to the soldiers and veterans who have secured my comforts and freedoms?

I did not have my food rationed. I lived less than a mile from a base. I wanted to do something for the soldiers in my own backyard so...Treats For Soldiers was born.

I decided to make treats each week and take them to the base at Los Alamitos to pass out to soldiers. I invited other families to join us. We shake hands, thank them for their service and offer a baked good. We did that almost every Thursday last summer plus we selected a Saturday in August when we knew reserves would be coming in for training at the base, and passed out purchased and home baked goods, all the while calling out our thank yous and waving signs of thanks, as soldiers passed through the gate at the base. It was an incredible summer and a highlight of our summer.

A couple of months ago as we bagan to plan out our summer, I knew Treats for Soldiers needed to happen again. I have recruited new families this year and hope to be able to spread the word even more. Soldiers need to hear our thanks. There is a feeling so indescribeable that comes from expressing gratitude to our soldiers. I want to share that with my friends. I want my children to grow up knowing we honor those who have and are serving to protect our country.

God bless our country, God bless those who have and those who are, willing putting themselves in harms way for my families behalf.

Treats For Soldiers is on - Round 2

Wanna join us? Let me know. Not in my Cypress, CA area? Find something in your area that you can do to serve soldiers. I promise you, it will be worth every minute.