Cookies heading to troops overseas

Girl Scout Cookie delivery is in full swing for the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois. As girls deliver cookies to their customers, they are also delivering good news. Customers who purchased a box of cookies through the "Gift of Caring: Cookies for Soldiers" program are hearing how those cookies are on the way to cheering up a member of military personnel overseas.

The Gift of Caring Program allows members of the public to purchase cookies that are then sent overseas to military personnel. Gift of Caring encourages the community to support Girl Scouts through a cookie purchase, even if they are watching their waistlines or have dietary restrictions.

Barb Snow, chair of the Gift of Caring Program for GSNI, started the program locally in 2004. The program has expanded from 180 boxes of cookies the first year to a staggering total of 18,000 boxes donated in 2009. The 2010 donations are still rolling in.

Snow makes sure each box is decorated with a coloring page and addressed with a Girl Scout's first name and troop number before being packed for delivery. She also keeps record of the hundreds of e-mailed thank you notes she receives from soldiers. Many e-mails come from former Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts and express a full range of gratefulness, often referring to the Girl Scouts themselves as "heroes."

If you haven't been approached by a Girl Scout, e-mail cookies4you@girlscoutsni.org, and your cookie order will be passed on to a local Girl Scout. Cookie booth sales begin March 1. Visit girlscoutsni.org for locations.

Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois (GSNI) was established on October 1, 2009, with the joining together of four area Girl Scout councils; Girl Scouts-Fox Valley Council (Sugar Grove), Girl Scouts-Green Hills Council (Freeport), Girl Scouts-Rock River Valley Council (Rockford), and Girl Scouts-Sybaquay Council (Elgin). Visit girlscoutsni.org to find out more.