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November 11

Students pay sweet tribute to responders

Youth ministry makes cookies for area emergency personnel for their efforts during flood.

By Jerry Lynott jlynott@timesleader.com
Business Writer
Jerry Lynott on Facebook   |   @TLJerryLynott on Twitter

KINGSTON – The loaves and fishes miracle fed thousands the Bible says, and the cookie tribute comes close, sort of.

On Thursday night approximately 45 students from the Regional Youth Ministry mixed, baked and packaged about 2,000 cookies in the basement of St. Ignatius Church on North Maple Street to be distributed today to first responders from West Pittston to West Nanticoke for their efforts in the September flooding.

“This is a project that came from the kids,” said Brian Williams, director of the ministry made up of Catholic communities in Kingston, Larksville, Luzerne, Plymouth and Swoyersville.

The kids came together after the flooding from Tropical Storm Lee two months ago and decided to say “thank you” with cookies.

Theresa Hornick, 17, of Plymouth, a student at Wyoming Valley West High School, said she and her sister Sam came up with the idea.

“I know a lot of families that were hit,” said Hornick.

The Susquehanna River crested at a record of 42.66 feet on Sept. 9 and inundated communities not protected by the levee system.

Her uncle works for the Hanover Township fire department, she said, and firefighters, police and ambulance and emergency medical services personnel worked to evacuate people and help with the flood cleanup.

The sisters thought, “Why don’t we do something for them to show we are thankful for helping us?” said Hornick.

While Hornick dipped an ice cream scooper into a bowl of dough and placed the mixture on a baking sheet, other students were in the kitchen with chef Tom Koval mixing the ingredients and placing the sheets into ovens. Still others placed the cookies – chocolate chip, peanut butter and sugar – into plastic containers lined with paper doilies.

“We have a great system going,” said Koval of Edwardsville.

Nearby his daughter Brinn, 15, a student at Wyoming Valley West, stood next to a commercial mixer waiting to remove the bowl of dough and deliver to the next station in the process.

At 8 a.m. today, the containers of cookies, each containing a thank you note from the ministry, will be delivered to 452 first responders at 21 locations throughout the Wyoming Valley.

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