On Saturday, May 15th, Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio (GSSGC) will pack up 70,524 boxes of Girl Scout cookie donations raised through their I CARE program. The cookies will be shipped to Operation Gratitude, a non-profit, volunteer-based corporation dedicated to sending care packages to military service people deployed overseas. "This is the largest one-time donation from one Council we have ever received!" said Carolyn Blashek from Operation Gratitude. "What an amazing effort by these girls!" She is excited at the prospect of announcing this record-breaking figure at the armory on Saturday. "The crowd is going to go wild!" said Blashek. "We are so proud of our Girl Scouts and their I CARE project this year!" said Elizabeth Locke-Thomas, Vice President of Product Sales for GSSGC. "This was our largest collection to date, with 70,524 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. Given our current economy, we were stunned by the generosity of so many." Locke-Thomas believes the "double good deed" message of the I CARE program held a strong appeal for many people. "A donation of this magnitude is truly a Council-wide project. We had thousands of cookie booths throughout our six week cookie season, and at each booth Girl Scouts were reminding people 'If you can't eat them, treat them.' When you participate in our I CARE program, you are not only supporting our future leaders in Girl Scouting, but also our men and women serving in the military. How often do you have the opportunity to do two good deeds at once? It is a powerful message, and this year the community rallied behind it in a staggeringly generous way!" The I CARE program not only supports military service people but also local food banks, women's shelters, Ronald McDonald houses and camps. Cookie buyers can choose which organization they would like to gift with their cookie donation. The entire community benefits from this program in a broad umbrella of giving. On Saturday, May 15th, approximately 52 Cadette, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts will travel by bus to the Amory in Van Nuys to deliver the boxes of cookies and package them for shipping. May 11, 2010: By GSSGC Girl Scouts