Base takes coffee donation

  • Published
  • By Jim Spellman
  • 60th Medical Group Public Affairs
TRAVIS AFB, Calif. --  If there is one drink that has kept military service personnel moving, it's coffee. In 1832, President Andrew Jackson introduced sugar and coffee into the U.S. Army diet, replacing the customary allotments of rum, whiskey or brandy. The move thereby introduced into soldier's lives a habit that helped them through the difficult times of war.

One soldier recalled, "Coffee was the mainstay; without it was misery."

Now, 180 years after coffee went from rationing out by Army quartermasters to today's flameless hot beverage bag included in every meal ready to eat, local Airmen and service members have a new reason to enjoy a hot cup of Joe. Recently, the Travis Chaplains received an offer of a donated delivery of more than 30 pallets -- 25,000 pounds worth -- of K-Cups of coffee from a non-profit for distribution to the military families throughout the base, and consumption by everyone who is part of Travis.

With cooperation from all three of the installation's wings, logistics were worked out a truck delivery for Travis arrived Jan. 19.

"We did the best we could to provide a mix of everything from Kuerig's Nantucket Blend Iced Coffee, to Millstone's Breakfast Blend, to the Van Houtté Light Roast, to a little bit of Colombian Excellenté for all of the organizations who serve the people of Travis and who were interested," said Jerry Hoenicke, 60th Medical Group Life Support Training Administrator and Self-Aid Buddy Care advisor for Travis. "The bill of lading indicated that we received 25,000 pounds of palletized coffee. The total delivery equaled approximately 325,000 cups of coffee."

According to Hoenicke, the tractor-trailer rig arrived just before 9 a.m. at David Grant USAF Medical Center's receiving warehouse. By noontime, volunteers had moved more than 20 pallets out to more than 15 organizations including the 349th Air Mobility Wing chaplains, 615th Contingency Response Wing schoolhouse, 60th and 349th Maintenance Groups, 60th AMW chaplains, Jimmy Doolittle Air and Space Museum, Veterans Affairs Northern California health systems, 60th Medical Group education and training, Airmen and Family Readiness Center and Fairfield's Bridge to Life Center where homeless veterans receive a hand up.

"Each of the 3,400 boxes had 96 cups within the container, so we received more than 326,000 K-Cups," Hoenicke said. "We spent time each day for the rest of January distributing the coffee to more than 65 base organizations. They were in various quantities, from multiple pallets of coffee that had from 80 to 100 boxes each, to as few as 20 boxes for some of the smaller units."

The abundance of coffee has been spread throughout the base in a statement of gratitude to Travis members by way of the Travis Chaplain's Corps to all three wings and further within their groups and squadrons. Another shipment is potentially scheduled to arrive in the near future.