By Sophia Mastice
For HDMedia
Abigail Williams is a new ambassador with the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond council in Charleston. To Abigail, the Girl Scouts’ Gift of Caring cookie program is important because members of the military “truly show how much they appreciate us” by serving our country, and donating Girl Scout cookies is “just our little ‘thank you’ to give back to our community and the people who truly value the work we do.”
On Tuesday, Abigail, 16, of St. Albans, and the other Girl Scouts donated more than 6,500 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to local military families. The donation was made possible through the Gift of Caring program, which is a part of the council’s 2026 Girl Scout cookie entrepreneur program.
During Tuesday’s event, Girl Scouts helped load cases of donated cookies into vehicles ready for delivery, to be shipped to local partners.
Each $6 purchase of cookies was donated to a local service member or military family, while the proceeds from the initiative go to the Girl Scout program. The cookies are donated to The West Virginia Gold Star Mothers Association and the West Virginia National Guard Foundation.
Through those organizations, the cookies are then shipped across the country, as well as overseas.
Joelle Gates, the senior manager of marketing and communications for Girl Scouts of Black Diamond, said that local military families often send the cookies out to their loved ones who are currently deployed.
“It’s a really great reminder of home. It’s something they don’t necessarily have access to while serving in the military, and so just having something that’s a classic staple is always really helpful,” she said.
More about the Girl Scouts
Abigail said that being a part of Girl Scouts “changed my life,” and the Black Diamond Council gave her the opportunity to visit the United Nations to advocate for ensuring justice for women, as well as allowed her to see the state legislature in action, which she is passionate about.
According to Gates, the Girl Scouts cookie program is officially completed for 2026; however, the Black Diamond Council’s spring membership initiative has just kicked off.
“There’s never a bad time to join Girl Scouts,” Gates said. If someone is interested in joining a troop in their area, “this would be a perfect time to jump in.”
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