What could possibly be done with 8,928 cookies?

Perhaps hold a fundraiser for a local fire department.

Over 8,000 cookies were baked and donated by volunteers to help raise funds for the Franklin Township Fire Company.

Members of the Franklin Township Fire Company Auxiliary were busy Friday morning at the fire company putting together the homemade cookies trays.

By the end of the day, the auxiliary put together 248 trays, all of which have at least 36 cookies per tray, according to Chris Lilly, president of the auxiliary.

“We had 70 people who baked for us,” Lilly said. “There was one lady who made almost 1,400 cookies by herself.”

Lilly said the trays are comprised of cookies, candies and brownies; among them cream cheese brownies, and coconut, sugar, oatmeal, cutout, macadamia, macaroons, and whimsies cookies.

She said the cookies cost $14 per order, and were all preordered and can be picked up between 1-3 p.m. today (Saturday) at the fire company.

Lilly said even the auxiliary can’t believe all the support the auxiliary has received.

“We have been shocked, overwhelmed,” she said. “We’re extremely pleased that the community has supported us to get around COVID.”

Lilly said it couldn’t have come at a better time, seeing as how the fire company had to cancel its Block Party, giant yard sale and dances due to COVID-19.

“The fire company gets grants from the county, state and (financial) backing from the township,” she said. “You still have to pay your electric, heat, insurance on the vehicles, maintenance on the vehicles.”

Lilly said that since the pandemic, they’ve had 10 takeout dinners, for which they had 300-plus takeout meals each time; a pizza sale in which they sold over 700 pizzas; and a filling sale in which they sold 205 quarts.

She said several events planned for next year are a pizza sale on Feb. 6 in conjunction with the Carbon Soccer League; to restart takeout dinners in April; and both a Mother’s Day Dinner and Father’s Day Dinner, either takeout or dine-in.

“It all depends what the governor does, and how bad COVID is,” Lilly said. “I am so glad the community supported us in everything we did.”