NC Troop Sends Gratitude and a ‘Taste of Home’ to Military Families Stationed Overseas

For Troop 2504 of Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, supporting the troops is a cause that hits close to home. One of the troop members is part of a military family that previously lived in Ethiopia. While there, her family received a care package from a Girl Scout troop that offered them a taste of home and personal letters of gratitude. Her family was so touched by the gesture that they shared the idea with Troop 2504, and the girls decided that they wanted to give a thoughtful gift from home to more families stationed overseas.

“We have several military families in our troop,” Angel Tulli, leader of Girl Scout Troop 2504 said. “When we heard about this idea, we loved it and got to work right away to make it happen.”

All winter the girls worked hard to sell Girl Scout Cookies and collect donations. They also asked cookie customers to purchase and donate extra cookies, and contacted friends and businesses in the community to donate items for the packages. In May the troop traveled to the USO Welcome Center in Norfolk, Virginia, and was able to fill 35 boxes with games, food, and other donated treats—including 115 Girl Scout Cookie boxes. Thanks to a generous donation from the Navy Seal Foundation to cover the shipping costs, the packages were sent to the Special Warfare Unit in Stuttgart, Germany.

The girls also left items at the USO Welcome Center for troops and their families to enjoy when they arrive at the airport, and the girls had the opportunity to pass out boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to service members passing through the USO Welcome Center while they were there.