HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- Dozens of Girl Scouts and their families, along with Hanscom Air Force Base military volunteers, gathered here May 6 to distribute Girl Scout cookies to service members and veteran organizations.
The Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts collected donations for their ’Cookies for a Cause’ program, which allows the Girls Scouts to accept donations for military members, food pantries and other local charities.
Col. Taona Enriquez, installation commander, expressed her appreciation to the Girl Scouts during remarks at the event.
“There’s more to Girl Scout cookies than what’s in the box,” said Enriquez. “It’s goal setting, decision making, money management, business ethics, and confidence - skills essential to leadership and success in life.”
The Girl Scouts also delivered handmade ‘thank you’ cards which they handed out to all the service members who drove through the cookie pickup line.
Master Sgt. Justin Bright, 66th Security Forces Squadron first sergeant, who helped to organize the annual event, spoke about the long-standing partnership with the Girl Scouts.
“Every year they put in a lot of effort to sell cookies, beyond just raising money for their organization, but to donate to the military,” he said. “Whether it is active duty, the National Guard, Reserves, or veterans, they just want to give back to their communities. It’s impressive.”
Also on hand was Barbara Fortier, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts chief executive officer.
“A huge thank you to Team Hanscom for hosting this event,” she said. “We want all our Girl Scouts to know that we could not be prouder of their accomplishments.”
Hanscom AFB has hosted what was known at the time as “Operation Cookie Drop” many times since its inception following 9/11. The program provides an opportunity for the Girl Scouts to deliver their donations in person to military members and veteran organizations.