The Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians recently supported our military, partnering with Hugs for our Soldiers (HUGS) by sending our troops packages filled with countless cases of Girl Scout Cookies donated to the HUGS program. HUGS is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support our troops serving overseas, by sending packages, letters and cards to a deployed soldier, marine, sailor or airman.
Lynne Fugate, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Southern Appalachians, has a special affinity for the military as her husband is a retired Navy captain and son Patrick is currently an army captain. She also has a special connection to Fort Campbell where the cookies were delivered, since Patrick’s first duty station as a brand-new second lieutenant was Ft. Campbell, so she has spent time there as well.
Fugate says, “I know that not every soldier gets packages from home and some don’t even have family, so a box of cookies is a way to show them that they are appreciated and thought about by Girl Scouts. We appreciate all those members of our community that buy cookies for donation. You help make someone’s day!”
Tammy Gredig, director of product programs for Girl Scouts, said, “It was an honor providing Girl Scout cookie donations to Hugs for Our Soldiers to include in the packages. I look forward to working with them in the future. Kathy and Jim Orcutt are very passionate about the work they do and it shows!”
Kathy Orcutt, founder of Hugs for Our Soldiers, said, “It was remarkable as to how many boxes of cookies the Girl Scouts of Southern Appalachians donated to Hugs for Our Soldiers.”
Orcutt said that HUGS immediately touched base with the 134th Air Refueling Wing at McGhee-Tyson who not only picked up the cookies but also helped to distribute them among the Airmen and Army Guards at the base.
The remainder of the cookies were driven by HUGS volunteers to Fort Campbell and distributed to Soldiers of the 101st Airborne and the Special Ops units based there. Orcutt said “Everyone walked away with a huge smile on their face realizing how much Tennesseans care about our military men and women.”
To read more about these organizations, click on these links: Hugs for Our Soldiers and Girl Scouts of Southern Appalachians.
If you would like us to purchase the cookies for you or if you’d like to help with the shipping costs, you may Donate to Hugs for Our Soldiers.
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