Hanscom Airmen and local Girl Scouts connect over cookies

  • Published
  • By Jessica Casserly
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- Hanscom volunteers and the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts joined forces at the base April 21 to distribute more than 38,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to several base, military and veteran organizations. 

An estimated 400 Girl Scouts and their families, along with more than 30 military and civilian volunteers from Hanscom, participated in the event. Cookies donations were collected through the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts’ Cookies for a Cause program, which enables the Girls Scouts to accept donations for military organizations, food pantries and local charities. Since the event’s inception following 9/11, Hanscom has hosted it several times, giving the Girl Scouts a chance to deliver their donations in person to some of the military members and veterans their program supports.

Col. Roman Hund, installation commander, expressed his appreciation to the Girl Scout troops during his remarks at the event.

“Thank you for all of these cookies that will go to our military members who are going downrange,” Hund said during his remarks. “The Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts are very supportive of our military members and we want to thank you for that.”

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts chief executive officer, Denise Burgess, also commended the Girl Scouts in attendance for their generosity.

“This event is truly awesome because of all of you,” Burgess said. “You came out here because you all really care about the women and the men who are overseas protecting us.”

Burgess, who served 16 years in the U.S. Department of State-Foreign Service, spent time abroad and can empathize with the isolation service members may feel being away from their families and friends.

“I’ve spent a lot of my time working overseas in our embassies and sometimes you feel like people back home have forgotten you,” Burgess said. “That’s why this event and all those cookies are so important. [These cookies will] remind all of our troops who are overseas that we haven’t forgotten them and that we’re really proud of them.”

In addition to distributing cookies and meeting Hanscom Airmen, the Girl Scouts also created handmade cards that will be sent along with some of the cookies to deployed military personnel.

Master Sgt. Jessica LaBrie, 66th Medical Squadron first sergeant and the lead Hanscom coordinator for the event, said she hopes the Girl Scouts who visited Hanscom know that their efforts and generosity are greatly appreciated.

“I know the girls actively collect cookie donations specifically for this event, and it is a wonderful opportunity for us to thank them in person,” LaBrie said. “I hope our Airmen see firsthand how our local community outside of the base truly does support Hanscom and our military.”