Georgia Girl Scout Troop 21728 in Acworth turned this year's cookie sales profit into a project toward helping homeless veterans in the local area. Troop Leader Katie Nolan said, "We have 18 girls who are in the 5-7th grade this year, who are Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts." They wanted to use their cookie sales to help make a difference in the community, and they came up with this idea on their own."

Jim Lendenmeyer, veteran service officer for Thomas M. Brady American Legion Post 45 in Canton and director of the Cherokee County Homeless Veterans Program, provided the troop with a list of items for the backpacks developed by former homeless veterans, both male and female.

Utilizing their cookie profits as well as donations from the general public, the Scouts assembled the backpacks at a local park on a Saturday afternoon. Each backpack, which the Scouts called "care kits," contained the following:

Survival Items:
a pair of socks and gloves, winter beanie hat, bandana, emergency blanket and flashlight

Hygiene Items:
nail clippers, mini toothbrush/toothpaste, dental floss or floss sticks, hairbrush, soap set (shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion), washcloth, three face/body wipes, two hair ties and tissue pack

First Aid Kit:
Ten cotton swabs/Q-Tips, four cotton balls, six alcohol prep pads, gauze pad, five bandages/BandAids, two burn creams, two hydrocortisone creams, tweezers, hand sanitizer and bag with cotton swabs/cotton balls

Food:
Ramen noodles, made-good granola bite, granola bars, two plastic spoons in small zip bag, chicken/cracker or tuna/cracker set, fruit snack, pirate booty, Rice Krispy Treat, applesauce, oatmeal pack, trail mix, Welch's fruit strip, and bottle of water

The care kits were presented by the troop to Post 45 during its monthly general membership meeting in September.