When Air Force Tech Sgt. Jim Fisher was stationed in Afghanistan from February to August, eating off base meant donning heavy body armor and taking a chance at getting blown up.
Troops ate on base only.
So when care packages made their way to them, Fisher acknowledges that he developed a slight addiction to the chewy, coconut-caramel Girl Scouts cookies known as Samoas.
"They showed up in care packages from friends and family, and everybody shared what they got," said Fisher, who handles public affairs for Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. "Little things like that make a big difference, because it's hard to find things that give you a taste of home."
That's the idea behind Troop to Troop, a new endeavor by the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, which will allow consumers to make a "gift of caring" by donating boxes of cookies to military personnel overseas. Purchasers also can send notes of thanks to go with the cookies, although the cookies cannot be designated for any particular service member.
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The target is 250,000 boxes — an ambitious goal, given that last year the local council overall sold just over 750,000 boxes.
Every year, under the Gift of Caring program, customers can buy cookies to donate to community causes, such as the Community Food Bank or domestic violence shelters, selected by the Girl Scouts.
Over the past several years, some Scouts chose to send cookies overseas, but it was cost-prohibitive to do on a large scale, said spokeswoman Debbie Rich. One troop sent four cases of cookies in 2005 and it cost $60, she said.
But after getting notes and e-mails from troops who enjoyed the cookies, the girls were determined to make it work. The task fell to Tech Sgt. Jeanette Watson, 34, a former Scout herself, whose 11-year-old daughter is in her sixth year of Scouting. After contacting the public-affairs and legal offices and notifying her chain of command, she got the blessings she needed.
Stationed in Korea for a year and in England for three years, she remembers how important little gifts from home can be.
Her daughter, Rebecca Dahling Watson, understands that, too. "They're away from their families and it might be nice to have stuff coming to them," said the sixth-grader at Tucson Country Day School.
Last year, she and her mother sent cookies to service members overseas. "It felt good because we were doing something nice for other people," she said.
Pre-orders for the cookie sales begin in January. In early April, the girls will bring any cookies they've sold to drop-off points across town. Workers for Horizon Moving Systems will take them to Davis- Monthan. As troops deploy, so will the cookies.
Rich acknowledges that the 250,000 target is a lofty goal. "It would be huge if we could do that, but we feel we can do it. A taste of home is universal and every soldier deserves to be reminded of home."
cookie orders
Pre-orders for cookies, which cost $4 a box, will begin Jan. 11, with the cookies available for direct sale around town Feb. 16 through mid-March.
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