Cookies, coffee delivered to troops

  • Published
  • By Sarah Olaciregui
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Rain wasn't the only thing that poured into Hanscom on Saturday morning. Approximately 1,000 Girl Scouts, troop leaders and parents filed through the gates to donate more than 30,000 boxes of Girl Scouts cookies during the fifth annual Operation Cookie Drop March 3.
 
Nearly 50 volunteers from Hanscom and Ft. Devens were on hand to unload cases of cookies from packed cars, trucks, vans and SUVs. In addition, Dunkin Donuts donated 1,000 pounds of coffee.

In return, seven troop-focused non-profit organizations and military and federal government agencies arrived to pick up the cookies and coffee in order to distribute them via care packages or give them directly to Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen.

One such organization was Hanscom's Company Grade Officers Council. Members of the CGOC participated in Operation Cookie Drop to store up items to eventually send directly to some of Hanscom's own deployed members during their quarterly troop care drives.

"One of our missions is community service," said 2nd Lt. Bethany Parker, a CGOC member. "This is a great way to partner with the community and serve. It's also a great way to send a little piece of home to the folks deployed overseas."

After the cookies were unloaded and distributed, many attendees made their way to the Tennis Bubble to hear from leaders, enjoy coffee or hot chocolate, sing songs and write letters or color.

Three scouts from Troop 72503 out of Stowe, Mass., especially enjoyed the day's festivities. Jacki Smith, Hayley Bracci and Emma Young handed over 18 cases, or 216 boxes of cookies, before making their way to the event site.

"We got to write cards to soldiers and color!" said Smith.

"We got our 'Treats for Troops' patch, too," said Bracci, proudly holding one up.

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts CEO Ruth N. Bramson thanked the base and volunteers for helping pull off the event.

"The mission of Girl Scouting is to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place," she said. "Girls need only look around today to find role models for that right here."

Col. Stacy L. Yike, 66th Air Base Group commander, echoed Bramson's remarks.

"Girls Scouts share some of the same values we have as Airmen," she said, "Our core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do fall along the same lines as yours. Today, we can show our core values in action for tomorrow's leaders."

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts began their annual Girl Scout cookie sale on Dec. 9, 2011, and sold cookies to be donated to troops overseas as part of their Cookies for a Cause program, which allows troops to sell cookies for a local cause or charitable organization.

Bramson summed up the meaning behind Operation Cookie Drop.

"The Girl Scouts and I know that there are so many Americans in uniform throughout the world who work hard every day on behalf of all of us," she said. "We are honored to deliver a small, but delicious, appreciation in the form of Girl Scout cookies."