COMBAT COOKIES
OUR MISSION
Combat Cookies is a veteran owned and operated 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We bake and ship fresh from the oven cookies to U.S. military members who are deployed overseas with a mission to increase their morale. Being away from the comforts of home can be emotionally challenging. Sending cookies is one way to bring the feeling of home to a deployed military member.
ABOUT OUR STOREFRONT
We started this mission out of our home in 2018. By the end of 2020, we decided that our home was being overrun and we needed to find an actual building in order to grow our mission. In May 2021, we opened our doors to the public for the first time, where we shared the same cookie recipes with the public that we share with our military members. When someone requests a box of cookies to be shipped overseas to a deployed military member, a financial exchange is not required. In order to fund our mission, we have opened our storefront at 294 Market St, Dayton, IN on Saturdays from 10-2 where we have fresh baked cookies, cupcakes and a Cake of the Week available to the public in exchange for a donation. You may also sponsor a box of cookies to be sent to one of the members we have on our waiting list for $35. The $35 covers the ingredients, packaging and shipping.
Our storefront has some very unique decorations that you won't find in any other bakery. Thanks to my extremely talented stepdad, some of these items include a custom-made tank display case, a 3/4 size Jeep front end, and a miniature log cabin. You will also find some eye-catching original artwork by Brandon.
We know that our supporters love our mission as much as we do so we make sure to involve them as much as possible. For each box that we ship overseas, we ask kids and adults to decorate the cardboard boxes and create thank you cards. We also have a wonderful local couple, Doug and Vicki Willis, who cut out stars from worn and tattered flags to send a little piece of home overseas with each box.
So come check us out on Saturdays from 10-2 to see what we are all about and enjoy some delicious treats!
Check our Facebook Events page for additional upcoming events.
ABOUT US
Who are we and why are we doing this?
My name is Brandi, my husband, Brandon, and I have over 38 years of military experience combined in the U.S. Air Force. We have both been on deployments (never together) and know what it is like to sacrifice time away from our families, miss holidays and other important occasions due to the priority of the mission. It is part of our lives and we have come to understand that we have to make sacrifices for the mission so we “suck it up” just like the majority of military members.
We made the decision to start this cookie adventure in our lives because we understand what it was like being deployed overseas. I remember being one of the fortunate ones who received some type of mail almost every single day from my family and friends. I remember my military friends giving me a hard time because they couldn’t believe people wanted to send me things that often (they were haters). My mom would send me the local newspaper (back when newspapers were popular) on a weekly basis. The paper was from our small town where the most striking crime of the day was a neighbor’s dog barking too much. While it was not that exciting to read, it was still nice to have something from home. One of my most memorable pieces of mail is when my sister would send me a letter about once a week with a funny story of something that her 6 year old son would say. Kids always say the funniest thing and she would capture it in writing and send it off to me to keep me laughing. When I would get mail from anyone, I was so grateful. I was grateful that someone cared enough to send me a gift (even if it was just a letter or card). I looked forward to the mail every single day. My military friends looked forward to the mail when I would receive a large box because they knew I would share the contents with them. With this being said, my husband and I thought how great it would be if we could be a part of the sending end rather than the receiving end. I love to bake cakes and cupcakes but the thought of icing smeared on a box lid accompanied by cake crumbs didn’t sound appealing. Therefore, the cookie idea was born. We are happy to give to our brothers and sisters in arms overseas as they are making sacrifices thousands of miles away from their families and friends in exchange for keeping us safe. It’s not always an easy task but someone has to do it and we are proud to be a part of the small percentage who serve and proud to be supporters as well.