With multiple wildfires burning across Northwest Montana, hundreds of firefighters have been working overtime at the front lines to get them under control.

It’s dangerous, physically challenging and mentally draining work, but one local woman is doing her part to give them some relief in the form of peanut butter cookies.

Diane Groves, a retired nurse, launched The Peanut Project last week as a way to let the community give back to the men and woman working to protect their homes and land. Her goal is an ambitious 4,000 to 5,000 cookies per day.

“I thought, if we could just put together a package of cookies, something to provide some extra energy and protein, and show them that we care,” she said. “It’s also an opportunity to get the community involved because a lot of people want to help out but don’t know how.”

The inspiration for the project came from seeing the mounting exhaustion in her son-in-law, a state fire crew leader based in Kalispell who has spent weeks keeping pace with the relentless fire season.

“These guys are short on sleep and there aren’t enough of them to fight all these fires,” she said. “The people in the offices are exhausted too, they’re working ungodly hours. I just wanted to do a little something that would make a little difference.”

The cookies are a cross between peanut butter and oatmeal raisin, a recipe Groves — who regularly sells baked goods and plants at the Bigfork Farmers Market — developed specially for the occasion.

“Nutritionally, they’re not going to accomplish a whole lot, but it’s a boost for them,” she said.

On Tuesday, she was up until midnight baking the first batch of 500 cookies in the kitchen of Vista Linda Restaurant in Somers after owner Mark Blasdel gave her the green light to use the commercial space.

Opportunities are limited, however, and she said the biggest challenge at this point is finding commercial space and equipment to allow her to crank out her goal of 5,000 peanut butter cookies per day, enough for four or five cookies per firefighter in the region.

Ingredients are also welcome, although she prefers that people donate via gift cards to grocery stores or checks instead of raw ingredients.

“My house is starting to look like a warehouse,” she noted with a grin.

Local businesses, friends and members of her church have stepped up to help since Groves started her project last Friday.

And while Groves said it has been tiring work launching the project in such a short time frame, she said the encouragement she’s received from the community has been exceptionally rewarding.

“I like seeing all the positive reactions to my idea,” she said. “I thought people would laugh and say, ‘What are four cookies a day going to do for anyone?’ But everyone has reacted so positively and been so supportive.”

Cash donations can be left at the service desks of local grocery stores. Gift cards and checks, which should be made out to Diane Groves or The Herb Garden, can be mailed to: P.O Box 10496, Kalispell, MT 59904.

For more information, contact Groves at (406) 257-2547 or Becky Child at (406) 890-9249 or send an email at bigskyherbs@gmail.com.

Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.