Belleville American Legion Buys $1K Of Cookies From Nutley Girl Scouts

BELLEVILLE-NUTLEY, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of American Legion Post 105 and Sons of the American Legion (SAL) Squadron 105. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

American Legion Post 105 and Sons of the American Legion (SAL) Squadron 105 made the day a little sweeter by making a combined $1,000 purchase of Girl Scout Cookies, which will be sent to our service members deployed abroad and to veterans at NJ’s VA hospitals. The hope is that each bite of a Somoa or a Trefoil cookie reminds the troops and vets of how much the American Legion 105 Family appreciates and values what they do and have done.

As they do every year, Girl Scouts around the country sell cookies as their biggest annual fundraiser. This is the case for Girl Scout Troops 20122 and 20462, both of Nutley, who have sold cookies for the past few years at Post 105. Troop 20122 makes its home at Post 105, meeting monthly at the Post hall – something our Legion Family is very proud to support.

Since 2018, the Post 105 Family has annually voted on buying and donating cookies to send to those in uniform who can’t be home during ‘cookie season’. For the 2023 cookie sale, Post and Squadron 105 went big – bigger than they ever have.

“That’s what our money is there for – this is a great project to give to”, said Squadron 105 Commander Steve Sangemino at the meeting where the vote happened. “This [donation] should increase every year – just like everything else we’re doing”.

SAL 105 voted to top last year’s donation by increasing it to $250 of cookies sent via “Operation Jersey Cares” to troops overseas and $250 to the 2nd annual “Cookies for Vets” program to our veterans in VA hospitals. Post 105’s Legionnaires then matched both of those donations.

Through “Operation Jersey Cares”, skids of cookies from around the state are loaded onto planes and sent to troops around the world. In 2021, over 80,000 boxes were sent to the military.

The “Cookies for Vets” program is in its second year, run by the Children and Youth Commission at the state-level SAL Detachment of NJ. SAL 105 Adjutant Rusty Myers, who is also the state Children and Youth Commission Chairman, manages the donation of cookies in January which are then donated to NJ’s two VA campuses at Lyons and East Orange. Last year Girl Scouts from both troops, as well as a young SAL from the Belleville squadron, delivered the cookies to both VA locations in April, which is National Children and Youth Month.

“This program is great – it’s what we should be doing”, said Essex County Adjutant Henry Deltosto at a meeting of the American Legion Essex County Committee, where they voted to donate to “Cookies for Vets” as well. “It hits two of the reasons why the American Legion is here – helping our veterans and supporting our kids.”

Most cookies are $5 a box, making 105’s donation 100 boxes to the troops and 100 to the vets – who get to enjoy all of these boxes of Thin Mints, Do-si-do’s, Tag-alongs, and an assortment of all of the other delicious cookies we all look forward to each year.

Girl Scout Junior Grace Myers of Troop 20122 and Cadette Abigail Myers of Troop 20462 accepted the donation on January 25th, while also making the rounds selling their last-minute cookies to everyone else at the Post. There is no shortage of people who look forward to getting their cookies each year, as well as no shortage of people at the 105 who are generous enough to donate cookies to the service members on their own.

The Girl Scouts of the United States of America states that “When you buy delicious Girl Scout Cookies, you’re helping girls fund life-changing programs, experiences, and learning for themselves and their troops all year long. These experiences broaden their worlds, teach them essential skills, and launch them into a lifetime of success.” The girls not only win badges, awards, and incentives based on how many cookies they sell, the process from selling to delivering the cookies imparts on the scouts a sense of responsibility and people skills, as well as the value of goal setting and entrepreneurship.

The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow service members and veterans. Founded in 1932, Sons of The American Legion exists to honor the service and sacrifice of Legionnaires, and is open to all male sons and grandsons of eligible veterans.

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