Archway Cookies had always been a part of my family's life since I was a little girl. The Archway Windmill Cookie was my favorite:
And I was very saddened to learn of the companies closing in Ashland, OH in October of this year, so close to Christmas.
The Archway Cookie Company bakery on Claremont Avenue was not only a part of the fabric of Ashland -- the plant was established in the 1950s -- but also was ingrained in the lives of the families who worked there.
Many families worked at the bakery -- mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, brothers and sisters. Through the years, generations of relatives passed through the Archway plant.
When the bakery closed Oct. 6, hundreds of Ashland residents lost their jobs, their way of life and a piece of their family history.
The Sheriff family's ties to Archway predate their residence in Ashland. Deb Sheriff, an Archway employee for 32 years, said the company has been her life since she was a baby.
But there is a happy ending to this story, at least for now. A Christmas Miracle if you will. Another snack food company Lance Snacks bought the company at an auction and hired back 60 of it's former employee's, just in time for Christmas
Lance Inc. brought Christmas cheer to displaced Archway workers Tuesday during a company meeting in Ashland High School's Little Theater.
Armed with gifts of crackers and $1,500 Visa gift cards for all former full-time workers, Lance officials gave good news to people who have battled through their share of bad news in the two months since Archway closed its doors on nearly 300 employees.
"It feels like it's going to be a positive change, something we've been needing for a long time," said former Archway employee Michelle Fife of Mansfield.
Lance -- a manufacturer of cookies, sandwich crackers, nuts, candies and mints based in Charlotte, N.C. -- will reopen the Claremont Avenue bakery Dec. 16 with an initial staff of 50 to 70 workers with additional hires made as production ramps up. The hiring process already has begun and is expected to be completed by tomorrow, according to Mark Carter, Lance vice president of strategic initiatives.
Ohio is always near or at the top of everyone's list of economically depressed states with the unemployment rate nearly always higher than the national average. So this story is heartwarming indeed. And the reaction of the workers is probably the best Christmas present this town has seen in a while :-)
"I was crying," Devan says of the gift. "I am like, 'What are these people doing? They don't know me. They don't know us. They don't know any of the Archway people. And they are giving each and every one of us $1,500.' "
Sexton -- the woman who'd been preparing her kids for a meager holiday -- says of the $1,500 gift: "It was awesome. My first thought was, 'I can give my kids a Christmas.' "
Sniff Sniff, I need a tissue. Have a very Merry Christmas and Holiday everyone and give thanks for all that you have!
P.S.
And if you happen to be in the grocery store looking for something to munch on, show Lance a little love and pick up some crackers, cookies, chips, etc.
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