Area farm wife provides beef snacks for the troops

One of the joys of my years at the Lamar Democrat was working with younger reporters, who worked hard, and with intelligence and wisdom beyond their years to keep the newspaper offering strong coverage of Barton and Dade counties.

One of my favorites was Cherie Thomas, who began working for the Democrat during her senior year at Liberal High School.

Cherie, now Cherie Thomas Schenker, has been working to make a success of a farm that has been in her family for over a century, and recently, she has also been doing her part to make things easier for our troops overseas. Hopefully, some of the media who read this blog can pick up on this and see to it that this deserving young lady and her worthwhile project can receive the publicity they deserve. From the Schenker Farms news release:

A farmer’s wife wears many hats, but this Kansas girl has donned a helmet to help support the troops while her husband is deployed. Cherie Schenker, who owns Schenker Family Farms along with her husband Kevin, has joined forces with one of the largest troop support organizations in the country to provide beef snacks to the troops.

Schenker teamed up with AdoptaPlatoon by accident. The Schenker family had adopted various platoons and soldiers for a couple of years in an effort to show their support for fellow soldiers and to teach their children the importance of serving their community. One day Cherie had a question about a care package and called AAP Headquarters in Texas. By chance, she ended up on the phone with the executive director and the rest, as they say is history…
“We supplied a few hundred one month…One thing led to another and now we supply thousands of beef snacks sticks each month,” Schenker said.
The product is tailored to meet the Schenkers’ needs, which includes a custom label thanking the soldier for being an American hero. Schenker and her processor have negotiated with multiple companies along the way to get the best possible discounts for AdoptaPlatoon.
“This organization does so much to help support our troops, we felt like it was the least we could do for them.” Schenker said.
You might remember Schenker Family Farms from a story several months ago when they made national news by becoming the first livestock farm in Kansas to be “Certified Naturally Grown.” Since then, Cherie’s husband Kevin has deployed to Afghanistan with an advisory group from the Kansas National Guard. Even though he is deployed, Mrs. Schenker continues to ship their certified meats to health-conscious customers across the country.
“It is so heart-warming to know our beef is boosting the morale of soldiers across the Middle East. No matter what your thoughts are on the war, it is critical to support our soldiers,” Schenker said.
Soldiers are responding. The Schenkers get at least two to three e-mails each week from soldiers thanking them for their efforts and telling them how great the snack sticks are. The beef snack sticks are larger than many found in convenience stores, and specially designed to fit in the pocket of a uniform. In addition, the snack sticks are very low in fat and high in protein without all of the additives and preservatives often found in other products.
With a rapidly growing business and three children, Mrs. Schenker has added one more hat with her husband away—that of a juggler.
“A lot of people ask me how I deal with my husband being 7,000 miles away in a war zone, the farm, the kids and everything else life throws at you. I always tell them the same thing. Every day I look to God for strength to carry me through and prayerfully ask him for guidance in making decisions. He has never let me down and he never will,” Schenker said.
She added that she was not the first wife and mother to wait for her soldier to come home and certainly would not be the last. She describes the experience as a chance to grow closer to God and to her husband—her American hero.
Mrs. Schenker is active in her church and community, taking time to help whenever called.
“We believe it is critical to teach our children about having a servant attitude. When you pair that with a strong faith, everything else falls into place,” Schenker said.
You too can help support our soldiers by contacting www.adoptaplatoon.org to adopt one soldier or an entire platoon. Monetary donations are also welcome to help support the thousands of care packages sent overseas each month. For more information contact www.schenkerfarms.com or http://www.adoptaplatoon.org.

Cherie can be reached at her office at 620-632-4470.