RALEIGH, N.C. — A thoughtful thank-you gift for election workers in Wake County turned into a hazmat incident on Tuesday when a package containing pineapple-shaped cookies, sent from Hawaii, raised safety concerns.
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The package, addressed to the Wake County Board of Elections, prompted alarm when election staff noticed it had been mailed from Hawaii. Given the recent wave of suspicious packages containing powder sent to election offices across the nation, Wake County elections specialist Danner McCulloh told media, “We are just on high alert with these things automatically.”
Responding swiftly, the Raleigh Police and Fire Departments treated the package as a potential hazmat situation. According to Lt. Jason Borneo of the Raleigh Police Department, bomb technicians performed an X-ray scan of the package before determining it posed no threat.
Once officials opened the package, they found it contained pineapple-shaped cookies from the Honolulu Cookie Company and a handwritten thank-you note. A spokesperson for the Raleigh Fire Department confirmed that the package was mailed from an address in Hawaii.
Wake County Board of Elections operations continued without interruption during the incident, according to a county spokesperson.
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McCulloh explained that the cookies were sent by a person who had heard a radio story about the work being done at the Wake County Board of Elections and wanted to show appreciation. “It was a kind gesture,” he said, though he suggested that others avoid sending cookies unannounced to the office.
