Warm heart :)

About 10 days ago, I posted about leading a team for Round 13 of Operation Baking Gals. After leading a team in June for Round 10, I expected a similar turnout for our team, which was about 8 bakers. Nothing to laugh at there.

But for Round 13, for our soldier, Josh, we've got 27 people (update on Oct. 10: we have 32!) signed up. TWENTY-SEVEN (update: THIRTY-TWO). And several others have contacted me outside of the site wanting to bake for Josh but not sure how to sign up through Operation Baking Gals.

NEARLY MORE THAN 30 PEOPLE BAKED FOR JOSH.

One might see that as a whole lotta packages (and cookies!) for one guy. I see that as a tremendous amount of caring (and baking!) from 30 individuals for someone who they have never met. We aren't the biggest team, and there are several other teams with 20-30 team members, but I was floored by the interest our team received.

One team member wrote to me that her husband had fought in Vietnam. "We sent packages every week to him and he shared with everyone," she said. "Very few of the young men received much mail and almost none received homebaked goods." She said that she and her husband intend to stay involved with Operation Baking Gals and bake for future rounds. Others expressed how eager they were to bake for Josh. One woman thought it was great that I had to keep sending out Josh's contact info because people kept joining our team. Another told me she felt happy after sending her package.

It really is an amazing feeling - to do something you enjoy for someone who is sacrificing so much, and being able to pack up a box, send it off in the mail and know that you've just brought the smallest amount of cheer to them thousands of miles away. Operation Baking Gals has shipped to more than 100 members of the military. Thousands of bakers have participated. Josh's wife and sister-in-law have been incredibly touched by the outpouring of support and sugar that a group of a few dozen strangers have shown. I am, too, and I'm proud to be part of such a great organization.

I received an e-mail from Josh this morning, too, that brought a smile to my face:

"Hey Kristin, this is Josh Foster, the goodies got here just fine,
and it was amazing and almost gone already!
It really made my day - it came just in time.
I wasn't having the greatest day, I got off work, went to see if I had mail
and it was your package, wasn't sure who exactly it was but it cheered me up!
Not much to get excited about out here, but that did it, then I get even more
excited to see it was food lol. i love food Kara calls me a human garbage disposal.
Well anyway it was very good and like I said it made my day not only to get mail
and food but to see there is people out there besides my immediate family that care.
I thank you very much for sending it and for taking care of the soldiers out here like you do."