KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

Local Girl Scout Troop 2163 of Tullahoma has donated over 500 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to be sent to deployed military overseas as part of their Gift of Caring campaign.

On hand with the donation were Troop 2163 members Allie Hice, Kaidence Wood, Abigail Smith, Charlotte Petersen, Ella Hice and Kindal Gilliam, their parents, representatives of United Way of Hwy 55 and Col. Beverly Lee (USAF-retired). According to Greg Gressel, United Way of Hwy 55 was involved with the efforts of collecting the cookies to be donated, and also presented a check to the troop for $1,000. Ashley Abraham, Executive Director of United Way of Hwy 55, said she talked with Gressel with how she and the nonprofit organization can be involved with the program and how they can help give back.

“United Way of Hwy 55 supports our youth in the community but we also want to support those who are serving behind the scenes for us every single day,” she said.

Gressel said the reason they billed this program “Troop to Troops” is to give the active military troops a little taste of home.

“When they get this, they can reminisce and think about home in the middle of whatever their situation might be, and let them know that people back home are thinking about them and thank them for what they are doing,” Gressel said, “we are grateful to be a part of the program.”

Gressel said the donation is part of the Gift of Caring campaign, a nationwide community service project where Girl Scout troops may decide on a charitable organization or service group they would like to support with cookie donations as a way to say thank you. He added that they call their program “Troop to Troops” as they normally work with either military troops or first responders.

“Most of the time it’s our military and we also have worked with Col. Lee numerous times to take care of our cookies and make sure they got sent where they need to be sent to active military,” Gressel said.

Lee said the 500-plus cookies will be going to an air and space defense unit located in Kuwait, as well as some troops that are dispersed throughout the Middle East. Lee said she has been helping the Girl Scout troop to send the cookies to Kuwait for the last three years, while she personally has been sending cookies and care boxes to troops since 2003.

“We truly appreciate all the effort that the girls put in,” Lee said. “They seem to get more and more excited about it and it seems I get more and more cookies to send overseas. Thank you to United Way, as well as the girls, for their great efforts. Thank you for all of the people for purchasing the Girl Scout cookies and those that who actually some to send to the troops. It’s a very worthy program and we’ll keep doing it as long as we possibly can.”

As a veteran herself, Lee said she has kept letters she received from different troops saying “Thank you” that were included in care packages during her time in the Air Force. She also told the story of when her son was stationed in Afghanistan, she sent care packages to him and this troop as they lost their platoon leader Army 1st Lt. Jason Togi.

“When those boxes arrived, my son called back and he said ‘You have no idea what that did for my troops and how it lifted their moral.’ We all need to know that anything and everything we do to support our troops is deeply appreciated,” Lee said.

For Cadet Allie Hace, whose father is a veteran, she said it was good to be giving the troops a little treat or something as they are not always in the best conditions while they are serving. As for what it meant to her, she said it’s very important to do the program because of her connection to her father, as she sort of knew how it was for him when he served.

“I know my dad always talked about when he would get things from my grandmother, his mom, he would always save them,” she said. “It meant a lot to have something from his hometown, something to remember.”

Gressel also thanked community partners Minuteman Press, Nick’s Auto and A&R Glass for their continuing support of the troop’s Girl Scout Cookie Truck, which has been used sell cookies since 2021.