MINNEAPOLIS — About 75 U.S. troops who landed at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport this weekend got a sweet surprise from local Girl Scouts.

A report said the kids handed out boxes of Girl Scout cookies Saturday evening as they held signs thanking the military members for their service.

The 461st Engineering Company was returning from the Dominican Republic, where the troops were building schools. They were met by several dozen cheering members of the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys.

The giveaway is part of a national program called “Operation Cookie Care Package,” in which customers can donate boxes of cookies to troops. About 27,000 boxes have been donated across the nation so far this year.