The Schrunk family decided to support the BackStoppers in a delicious way. Janel and her daughter, Allison, made it their mission to hold an annual bake sale in honor of Officer Blake Snyder, EOW 10/06/2016.
Janel reflects on the previous year’s events that inspired her family’s decision to honor Officer Snyder in their own special way, “After he was killed, my daughter and I repeatedly saw the story on the news and Allison looked at me and said, ‘Mom, we have to do something’.” 
The idea of a bake sale seemed to come naturally for Janel and Allison. “One of the things my daughter Allison and I love to do together is bake and decorate cookies. We decided to bake treats for the police officers at the 3rd Precinct and the Affton firefighters, specifically the firehouse on Gravois where Engineer Castro works. Castro is a firefighter in Affton that our family got to know well. Every three to four months Allison and I would spend a couple full days baking and preparing treats, usually with a theme of Valentines’ Day, Easter, Summer, Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. We’ve been doing this for a few years now.”
Janel’s connection to first responders in her community runs deep. She describes one of her first experiences delivering treats to Officer Snyder’s platoon where she received a hug from Officer Wagener. “When I felt her bullet-proof vest, the realization of her dangerous job was sobering. She was willing to die for me.” Since then Janel was accompanied Officer Wagener on 10 ride-alongs. 
It took a lot of hard work and preparation to make the first bake sale possible, but with some love and support, the bake sale became an event! “We spent three days straight baking, decorating and bagging up treats. Some friends donated treats, my mom came to help, and my husband, Monty, made the signs. All of us worked the sale on a cool Sunday afternoon. We made enough treats to raise about $500, but ended up raising over $1,500!” 
Last year was not the end of the Schrunk family’s mission to support BackStoppers. “With the encouragement and the support of so many, we decided to make it an annual event!” This past October marked the second year of the Schrunk Family Bake Sale raising over $1,000 for BackStoppers. The love that the Schrunk family has extended to their local heroes and BackStoppers cannot be denied. “We don’t know how to get across just how thankful we are. So, we bake. And decorate. And give treats.” 
We would like to thank the Schrunk family for their dedication to our mission, and for making a difference in the community. This love and support helps us assist families that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our safety.