The Girl Scouts Will Let You Send Cookies to Hurricane Harvey First Responders
When Girl Scout cookies go back on sale (and they have, officially, gone back on sale, thank goodness) you might be tempted to stock up boxes of Thin Mints and Samoas for yourself, which you then hide in a drawer or a closet where your kids or your roommates can never find them. And yes, you should definitely do that—after all everyone needs their secret supply of cookies to get them through the rest of this frigid winter. This year, however, you might want to set aside a few boxes for some of last year’s hardest workers: The first responders who helped save lives and homes during Hurricane Harvey.
A newly launched Girl Scout program called "Cookies-4-Heroes" will let people send boxes to the firefighters, paramedics, and police officers who waded through neck-high water, piloted boats and jet skis, and braved torrential rain to rescue children, families, the elderly, and just about anyone else who found themselves stuck in the hurricane’s devastating flooding. If anyone deserves a cookie—or in this case, an entire box of cookies—it’s these people.
The process is simple: Once you find the spot (often outside a grocery store) where your local Girl Scout troop is selling cookies, buy as many boxes as your heart desires, and then donate part of your purchase to the first responders. Just let the scout that you’re buying from know about your charitable plan.
The program is running for a limited time—from January 6 to March 25, 2018—so be sure to make your purchase as soon as possible. Treating yourself is always one of the best parts of Girl Scout cookie season, but with this year’s added benefit of giving a gift to the people who deserve every treat they can get after a year filled with tragedy (and many moments of triumph over adversity too), the cookies will probably taste even better.
Update 1/11: According to a statement for the Girl Scouts, this program may not be available in all cities.
