Hanscom Airmen and local Girl Scouts continue Cookies for a Cause tradition

  • Published
  • By Jessica Casserly
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Hanscom volunteers and the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts gathered here March 19 to distribute approximately 18,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to six military and veteran organizations.

An estimated 450 Girl Scouts and their families, along with  more than 20 military and civilian volunteers from Hanscom, participated in the event. Cookie donations were collected through the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts' Cookies for a Cause program, which allows the Girls Scouts to accept donations for military organizations, food pantries and other local charities. Hanscom has hosted the cookie event several times since its inception following 9/11, providing an opportunity for the Girl Scouts to deliver their donations in person to some of the military members and veterans their program supports.

Col. David Dunklee, 66th Air Base Group commander, expressed his appreciation to the Girl Scouts in attendance for their support.

"Thank you for honoring us with these cookies," Dunklee said. "They will be going to service members all around the world."

The Girl Scouts are grateful for the opportunity to brighten a service member's day, said Barbara Fortier, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts chief operations officer.

"We are so thankful as a community to come together and support our brave men and women who put themselves in harm's way to protect and preserve our freedom," Fortier said. "We hope Girl Scout cookies provide a comforting reminder of home."

She added that having the opportunity to meet and thank service members in person is also a key component of the event.

"The Girl Scouts' efforts throughout cookie season culminate at the event held at Hanscom Air Force Base," Fortier said. "They can see first-hand how their efforts benefit the military community and they can interact with military personnel. The girls look forward to donating cookies to the agencies that provide critical services to military personnel and especially look forward to meeting the Airmen who volunteer at the event."

In addition to delivering cookies and spending time with Hanscom Airmen, the Girl Scouts also had the opportunity to make cards that will be sent along with some of the cookies to deployed military members.

Senior Master Sgt. Shon Teicheira, Force Support Squadron superintendent, Readiness NCO and the lead Hanscom coordinator for the event, hopes the event will have a lasting impact that reinforces Hanscom's positive relationship with the local community.

"I hope that we form a bond that is more than just a cookie event happening once a year," Teicheira said. "I hope [this event] forms friendships that take us outside the gates of the base and opens a new world into the community that is so willing to give."