Operation Cookie Drop is in full swing

The Girl Scout cookie drive has officially begun and the cry heard around town is "The cookies are here!" While the student, shop owner, and mom eagerly pick up boxes of their favorite cookie, it's the troops away from home that count on us delivering this tasty bite of Americana to them.

According to the Girl Scout Web site: "Girl Scouts may participate in a council approved 'gift of caring' program that allows girls to collect donations of cookies for military personnel serving overseas."

Anyone can donate the purchase of a box or boxes of Girl Scout cookies to our troops. These donated cookies then make their way to drop-off locations around town. Metamorphosis and RE/MAX Town & Country Realty have opened their doors to house the cookies, without any nibbling of course, to be picked up by members of the Military Parents of Sisters.

At their Pack-Out-For-The-Troops held every quarter, the Military Parents of Sisters gather needed supplies that our deployed troops from Sisters. The arrival of socks, wipes, toothbrushes and such are welcomed by our troops but the once-a-year boxes that hold Girl Scout cookies are something uniquely American and adored by all.

Many of our troops have deployed more than once. Multiple trips to the sandbox can bring discouragement during many long months away from home. For troops, getting the cookies means being remembered.

"I love the idea that we can send Girl Scout cookies to Sisters men and women serving in the military. When you're a long way from home sometimes you really miss the taste of home. Girl Scout cookie donations are such a nice way to send good wishes to men and women serving overseas," said Junior Girl Scout Troop 50752 co-leader Peyton Griffin.

The annual month-long fundraiser of delectable proportions has been in continuous operation since 1917, except during the years of World War II. Due to shortages of sugar, flour and butter the Girl Scouts sold calendars.

Sisters Girl Scouts, from Daisies all the way up to Ambassadors (Kindergarten-High School), will be selling cookies at Bank of the Cascades and Ray's Food Place on Friday afternoons until early evening and most of the day on Saturdays and Sundays until the cookie sale ends on Sunday, March 14.

Boxes of cookies can also be donated to the Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank.