LIMA — Area Girl Scout troops are out in force at local cookie booths, selling their cookies and asking customers to purchase additional packages to be donated to Operation Cookie, a council-wide community service project that provides boxes of Girl Scout cookies to deployed military men and women around the globe.

Over three days, March 16-18, Scouts hope to collect 1,000 cookie donations and surpass their goal of sending 100,000 boxes of cookies to military personnel.

Now in its 13th year, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio’s Operation Cookie Program has donated more than $1 million worth of Girl Scout cookies to the women and men of the armed forces. Partnering with Heroes in Action, of Toledo, Girl Scout cookies are distributed in care packages throughout the year to the National Guard, the 180th, as well as local military families and veterans.

“Operation Cookie is one of our favorite initiatives,” said Roni Luckenbill, CEO for Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. “We are able to share thousands of Girl Scout cookie packages with our soldiers, and our girls learn about philanthropy and the power of giving back to their local communities.”

To donate cookies as part of the Operation Cookie Challenge, donate via cash or credit card at local cookie booths or online through Digital Cookie. To find a booth, visit gswo.org/cookies and enter a zip code into the Girl Scout Cookie Finder or download the Girl Scout Cookie Finder app, free on iOS and Android devices.