LONGVIEW—The taste of home doesn’t get much sweeter than this.
In an effort dubbed Operation Appreciation, Christians in Longview are buying Girl Scout Cookies to send to more than 115 U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. In mid-March, the items were mailed individually to soldiers and chaplains serving in the area, including eight Baptist General Convention of Texas-endorsed chaplains.
Each soldier is to receive 10 boxes of cookies to share with his friends, and each chaplain will receive 100 boxes of cookies to distribute to other troops. Chaplains know who receives items from home and who doesn’t. They can give a box of cookies to a soldier to let them know someone in the United States is thinking of them.
“Chaplains have a unique position in dealing with the troops,” said Ann Walston, a member of First Baptist Church in Longview, whose class has adopted Operation Appreciation as a long-term project. “We try to supply them with quantities of things they can use.”
Volunteers work with Operation Appreciation year-round, shipping items three times a year. They provide toiletries, snacks, food, movies and puzzles. But the Girl Scout Cookies always are the troops’ favorite, said Margie Litterski, who started the effort.
“It’s so American. It’s their favorite,” she said.
Litterski has received numerous e-mails and letters from troops thanking her for the items. Some indicate the cookies made a troop’s day by reminding him that someone cared about him.
Walston said she participates in the effort to show her appreciation for what the soldiers’ are enduring. Those men and women are putting themselves in harm’s way to protect the freedom of others.
“When I slept last night, there was a soldier on guard,” she said. “They’re away from home. And many of those boys don’t have anyone sending them anything. That’s where the chaplains come in. They know which boys aren’t getting anything. They can give them the items we send.”
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For more information on how to participate in Operation Appreciation, call Litterski at (903) 295-9609.
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