County Recorder Melissa Jordan will be handing out Girl Scout cookies to veterans this Saturday, May 16, in honor of Military Appreciation Month. Veterans, who present their Delaware County Vet ID card or other proof of service with their state-issued ID, will receive one free box apiece when they drive past the Hayes Building entrance at 145 N. Union St. in Delaware. Cookies will be distributed from 12 noon to 3 p.m., or as long as supplies last.
Veterans can choose from Tagalongs, Samoas, Thin Mints, Lemon-Ups and Do-Si-Dos. Limit one per veteran, please. Any remaining boxes after 3 p.m. will be given to True North Veteran Support, the MASH Pantry, and the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1095.
As this will be an open-air event, Jordan said she will wear a mask and gloves as she interacts with veterans, checking Vet IDs and supplying cookies.
“I am fortunate to have made connections with other veteran entities through our work over the years with the Vet ID card program,” Jordan said. “A woman I met recently from the VA in Columbus reached out and asked if I could find a way to get Girl Scout cookies into the hands of local vets. I said, ‘give me as many as you can and I will find a way to get them to veterans.’ As a result, we have 200 boxes to distribute!”
Recorder Jordan encourages all veterans to file their DD214 with the Recorder’s Office and obtain a state recognized Vet ID Card from the office as well. The card displays a photograph of the veteran as well as relevant information regarding their service to our country. In Ohio, County Recorders maintain veterans’ military discharge records, and a Vet ID card allows veterans to prove their eligibility for various benefits. There is no cost to record the military discharge and the ID card costs $1.
“We’ve seen a 1,500% increase in the number of veterans filing their DD214s for safekeeping over the last six years,” Jordan said. “They’re also preserving their legacy for future generations. I am able to teach my children about their great-great grandfather’s service to our country because of the WW1 discharge he filed in the Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Recorder’s Office back in 1934. So I encourage veterans to look at it through that lens as well.”
For more information about the Vet ID program, contact the Recorder’s Office at 740-833-2460 or mjordan@co.delaware.oh.us. For questions regarding military discharges, contact the Delaware County Veterans Service Commission at 740-833-2010.