The Girl Scouts posted on Twitter in December 2018 that “Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you several cases of Girl Scout cookies — and that’s kind of the same thing” … and you know what, they are absolutely right …
The American Legion family of Post 105 in Belleville, which is made up of the American Legion’s veterans, the Sons of the American Legion (SAL) and the American Legion Auxiliary (ALA), donated 250 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to troops abroad and to veterans in VA facilities at home this year. What started with a $96 donation of cookies from the SAL in 2019 has exploded into a collective $1,500 donation from the entire Legion family this year.
It’s about “Making our vets’ day a little sweeter,” as the “Cookie for Vets” program run by the state-level SAL notes.
Through donations to Girl Scout Troop 20122 of Nutley and the Daisies of Troop 81250, the Legion Family will be sending $850 of cookies to those in the service around the world through the “donate cookies” option on the all-to-familiar cookie sheets, plus an additional $650 to give to veterans who are short or long-term residents of VA facilities at Lyons and East Orange.
The Girl Scouts say that “Every package is filled with leadership and life lessons,” and in this case, that lesson is to say thanks to those who serve and have served this county in uniform.
Last year, Troop 20122 scout Brinley Sullivan summed up the importance of giving cookies to heroes by saying: “…delivering cookies made me feel like I was giving back … A token of thanks.”
The serviceman and women overseas and around the world receive their cookies by a partnership between the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) and Operation Jersey Cares, where they distribute what the GSHNJ calls “our collected Gifts of Caring.”
All cookie donations go to U.S. military troops and veterans, with the cookies being included in care packages sent abroad.
Said SPC John Shackelford of the 325th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) via the Operation Jersey Cares website, “Your care packages seem to come at the right time when soldiers are in need. We are so grateful that we are not forgotten.”
And the US Navy isn’t left out either — deliveries have made their way to ships like the USS Iwo Jima in the past.
Girl Scouts Abigail and Grace Myers of Nutley sold cookies at the post, where many of the folks there donated even more boxes to send overseas. The hope is each bite of a Somoa or a Thin Mint cookie reminds these serviceman and women and veterans of how much the American Legion Family and Girl Scouts appreciates their service and sacrifice.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.