FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (CLARKSVILLENOW) — Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee (GSMIDTN) donated 37,444 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to Fort Campbell soldiers through its Gift of Caring program on March 17. This donation amount was a 20.37 percent increase from last year’s gift.
Through Gift of Caring, Girl Scouts are able to show their appreciation for men and women in uniform or support those in need by giving them Girl Scout Cookies. Girls choose an organization they want to benefit and give customers the opportunity to purchase cookies as a donation.
For the past six years, GSMIDTN has been partnering with Hugs for Our Soldiers to donate cookies to the soldiers at Fort Campbell.
“We are extremely fortunate to be the organization that Girl Scouts chooses to support,” said Kathy Orcutt, founder of Hugs for Our Soldiers.
“As groups were picking up, so many times it was said to me, ‘Are you sure these are free?’ and I told them this cookie drop is the result of their hard work combined with the love our general public has for our military. The soldiers were just in awe of this story! Smiles came across their faces.”
The delivery of these cookies would not have been possible without the generosity of M&W Logistics Group. M&W enjoys the opportunity to donate a driver, trailer and tractor to deliver Girl Scout Cookies to Fort Campbell each year.
“Our Gift of Caring program is one of my favorite components of the Girl Scout Cookie program,” said Cathy Ratliff, director of product programs, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. “Not only are we able to donate thousands of Girl Scout Cookie packages to our local soldiers and local organizations, it also teaches Girl Scouts about giving back to the community.”
In addition to the packages donated to Fort Campbell, 25,838 packages of cookies will be going to charities across Middle Tennessee, making for a total of 63, 282 packages of donated cookies through Gift of Caring.