While The Soup Ladies are known for warming up emergency personnel with Ginger “Mama” Pasarelli’s soup recipes they will also be able to provide some extra special comfort thanks to a local Girl Scout troop.

Girl Scout Troop 42419 of Maple Valley has adopted The Soup Ladies as its “Gift of Caring” community service project this cookie sale season.

This troop chose The Soup Ladies because it is a “local volunteer-run non-profit organization (which) provides meals to first responders in the Puget Sound area when they are on the scene of major accidents or crimes,” explained troop leader Kathy Wooley in an e-mail.

Through the “Gift of Caring” program, girls choose an organization that they wish to benefit and provide customers the opportunity to purchase cookies as a donation,” Wooley said. “Many customers look forward to sharing Girl Scout cookies with charitable organizations each year. Additionally, for those that don’t wish to purchase cookies for themselves, it’s a chance to give to others, while supporting Girl Scouts at the same time.”

Scouts will be seeking cookie donations for The Soup Ladies from 9-11 a.m. at Maple Valley Eye Care Center in the Safeway shopping center in Four Corners, and from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday at Bank of America in Wilderness Village.

“Customers are encouraged to personalize a box of donated cookies with a message to The Soup Ladies, thanking them for their service to our first responders” Wooley said. “Once the cookie sale ends,the donated cookies will be delivered to The Soup Ladies by the scouts.”

Another donation option for customers, Wooley said, will be to purchase cookies for Operation Cookie Drop, which allows customers to purchase cookies specifically to be sent to all branches of the military, both stateside and overseas, “as a show of support and gratitude for military service to our country.”