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Community Corner

Girl Scouts Deliver One Million Cookies to Troops Overseas

It's mission accomplished for Operation Cookie.

Julia, a member of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County for six years, has a brother in the Marines, and every time a package from home is delivered to the troops, they feel warm inside, she said.

“I think it’s nice to help the soldiers, I know my brother appreciates anything from home,” she said.

Julia and scores of other Girl Scouts, adult volunteers, politicians, police and service men and women all took part in a presentation this month at the Girl Scouts of Nassau County Service Center in East Garden City where one million Girl Scout cookies were sent off to U.S. troops overseas.

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The cookie donation was made possible by the Girl Scouts of Nassau County Operation Cookie program. Now in its fifth year, Operation Cookie allows customers to purchase extra boxes of cookies to be donated to the U.S. military.

Donna Ceravolo, executive director/CEO of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, an organization of 22,000 girls and 7,000 adult volunteers, said, “There are some very generous people in Nassau County who are helping bring a taste of home to our brave men and women.”

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Tuesday’s presentation featured much pomp and circumstance. The Nassau County Police Department Honor Guard Pipe Band and mounted unit took part in the ceremony. Police officers representing New York State, the Port Authority and MTA, as well as Garden City police and other nearby departments took part as well.

Political leaders, including Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and Town of Hempstead clerk Mark Bonilla, were among the dignitaries who addressed the audience. “I can’t imagine the joy you will bring the troops,” Mangano told the Girl Scouts. “You will make our service men and women feel more comfortable.”

Bonilla, the father of a Girl Scout, lauded the girls’ ongoing efforts. “You’re always stepping up,” he said. “This is a very, very good cause.”

The Girl Scouts seemed to agree. Juliet, a Girl Scout for eight years, said, “I know that some of the soldiers were Girl Scouts when they were younger, so it’s nice that they get to have their cookies again.”

Devon, a Girl Scout for five years, added, “It’s great helping [the troops] because they don’t have a lot.”

Following the presentation, the Girl Scouts formed an assembly line and transported the cookies from their organization’s truck to a DHL truck bound for Kennedy Airport. A police escort accompanied the cookies to JFK. The first shipment of cookies were expected to arrive in Bahrain Wednesday and dispersed to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, as well as installations and hospitals throughout the Middle East.

The troops will get to choose from among six varieties of Girl Scout cookies. Ceravolo said that while she does not have any scientific evidence to support her claim, she thinks Thin Mints are the most popular variety among the service men and women.

The one caveat? “I’m not sure how the Thin Mints will travel in the heat,” she said.

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