Girl Scouts deliver record number of cookies for deployed troops

  • Published
  • By Kevin Gilmartin
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Nearly 2,500 Girl Scouts along with their parents and troop leaders descended on Hanscom March 6, delivering more than 30,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies for deployed Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines in an event dubbed "Operation Cookie Drop."

The cookie drive was organized by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts under a program known as Cookies for a Cause. Donations were made by customers from cities and towns across Greater Boston.

Despite the large number of girls and cookies scheduled to arrive at 9 a.m., Hanscom was ready. By 10:30 a.m., all the cookies had been unloaded from each arriving vehicle and loaded onto trucks from organizations ranging from Hanscom's Company Grade Officers Council, which runs quarterly troop care drives, to "Helping Our Troops Massachusetts," a private volunteer organization that regularly ships items to Massachusetts military members serving abroad.

Dunkin Donuts also pitched in for the event, donating 2,000 pounds of coffee to be shipped along with the cookies.

Once their cookies were unloaded, scouts convened in the base tennis bubble, where they were entertained by the Air Force Band of Liberty's Rock Combo, Afterburner, while mingling with Hanscom military volunteers. They also created hundreds of thank you cards for deployed Airmen that will be included in the CGOC's troop care packages.

This was the third consecutive year that Hanscom has hosted the event, and this year was twice as large as last year, both in terms of Girl Scouts attending, and the number of boxes donated. More than 50 Hanscom people volunteered their off-duty time to help unload the donated treats, and the 66th Security Forces Squadron had 12 members directing traffic in the parking lot between Bldg. 1520 and Outdoor Recreation. With careful planning and a focus on safety, Operation Cookie Drop went off without a hitch.

"I was extremely proud of all the Hanscom Airmen who volunteered their time and efforts for such a wonderful cause," said Col. David Orr, 66th Air Base Wing commander. "Even though we doubled the number of scouts and boxes of cookies from last year, we were able to quickly unload the vehicles, get the cookies distributed to the receiving organizations, and entertain the girls, their families and their leaders."

Colonel Orr thanked the scouts for their hard work in selling so many cookies for military members serving overseas.

"Our deployed military members love Girl Scout cookies and the sweet taste of home," he told the more than 2,000 scouts assembled in the tennis bubble. "Our deployed Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines not only miss their families while they are away, but often times they are missing major milestones, like holidays, birthdays, graduations, or just missing Mom. When they receive their packages and open up their cookies, it reminds them that the American people care about our deployed warriors and value their service for our freedoms."

"The Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts are so proud to honor our troops here and overseas with our Cookies for the Troops project," said Ruth N. Bramson, chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts CEO. "The Girl Scouts know how important it is to make our world a better place and are so happy to send a taste of home to the troops whose mission is the same."