A box of cookies is bridging the gap between Shelby County and the Middle East.

Well, make that 983 boxes of cookies.

Girl Scout Troop 30 of Oak Mountain recently shipped more than 80 dozen boxes of the delectable delights to U.S. servicemen and women.

Those cookies will go to soldiers serving in the Middle East, including Iraq.

It didn’t take long for the Scouts to hear from their newest fans.

&uot;Thanks so much for the cookies!! They brightened up an otherwise windy, dusty day!&uot; Sgt. Dave Wright said.

&uot;There are a lot of very happy soldiers here at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, who are enjoying the Girl Scout cookies you sent to us,&uot; Brig. Gen. Donna Dacier said.

&uot;As a former Girl Scout, I take great pride in the thoughtfulness and generosity of your actions. Of behalf of the many soldiers here who are the beneficiaries, we thank you.&uot;

Lt. Col. Jim Glenn had a message for the Scouts.

&uot;Please let your friends and neighbors and all you come in contact with that we ARE WINNING and will continue to win this war on terror so that our great nation can continue to be the beacon for right that it has always been,&uot; he wrote.

&uot;I encourage the children to ask questions so that they can know in their mind what good is being done for them and the rest of the world in this endeavor.&uot;

This is the third year the Scouts have sent cookies overseas. Last year, they sent 700 boxes. This year, they set a record.

They didn’t know how many boxes they would send until late last month, when Scouts and volunteers spent several hours packing the cookies

&uot;If we had known we were so close to 1,000 boxes, some of us would have made some personal donations to reach that milestone,&uot; Troop leader Sheri Holbert said.

&uot;Monday was exciting when we received the total count.&uot;

According to Holbert, the project was a perfect fit for the small troop of seven girls – most of them eighth graders at Oak Mountain Middle School.

&uot;Girl Scouts is all about community service anyway. This is a way for us to serve, and do something,&uot; she said.

The Scouts sold $3 boxes of cookies to friends and family. They also sold several hundred boxes by sitting in front of grocery and department stores.

Some patrons didn’t want a box for themselves, but did want to buy a box for the troops.

Other troops from the Oak Mountain Service Area also helped with the effort.

Each box came with something extra – a personal note.

Some notes say, &uot;We’re praying for you.&uot;

Other notes are a little more light-hearted, like &uot;Is it hot?&uot;

Smaller children and older adults all wrote notes to the troops.

Some are longer than others. All are special.

&uot;On every box, there’s some letter from somewhere,&uot; Holbert said. &uot;A lot of them will put stickers with e-mail addresses … and we get responses.&uot;

While Shelby County troops devour many of the cookies, some go to troops from other states.

In the past, at least one person from Uzbekistan enjoyed the cookies.

Another individual serving in Afghanistan sent a map last year marking where he was stationed. He may have been from Louisiana, since he used LSU stationary.

&uot;It has a very international impact,&uot; Holbert said