Posted: 1/15/03

Annual Girl Scout Cookie sale set to begin

The annual Girl Scout Cookie sale gets underway Saturday, Jan. 18.

Linwood Elementary Girl Scout Troop 2079 was busy getting ready for the sale last week.

Since the girls live in a more rural area, creative means are used. In addition to door-to-door sales, girls use the telephones and email word of the annual cookie sale.

They all have their own methods.

ìWe just kinda show them the vest,î said Malorie Messin, looking down at her patch-adorned Scout vest. ìThey know who we are and they know what we want.î

Amanda Holden said she has sold more than 100 boxes in the past. She would like to surpass her past sales.

ìMy dad helps me around the neighborhood,î she said.

Going door to door, with a smile pasted on their face and order form in hand, the girls enjoy success selling the $3 per box cookie.

ìI got my block, my whole block,î boasted Hannah Norwig.

Girls have incentives to sell as many cookies as they can. In addition to funding for the Scouts, incentives such as T-shirts, pajamas, pillow cases, beach towels and even a Personal Digital Assistant and free week at Girl Scout camp reward top sellers.

The theme of this yearís sale is ìDream Bigî and the incentives are geared around that theme. Girls also can earn ìCookie Doughî through their sales. Cookie Dough can be used as money within the Girl Scout Council for use toward camp fees and Girl Scout dues.

History

Girl Scout Cookie sales go back nearly 100 years, when troop mothers of the Mistletoe Troop in Oklahoma baked cookies in their ovens at home to sell in the high school cafeteria. Proceeds from the sale funded material for khaki handkerchiefs and ingredients for making candy to send to soldiers.

Varieties

This year, local Girl Scouts are selling eight varieties of Girl Scout cookies. The most popular cookies, according to Troop 2079 are Thin Mintsóchocolate mint wafers coated in chocolate and Samoasóvanilla cookies smothered in caramel, rolled in coconut and striped with chocolate.

Other favorites are Tagalongsócrunchy cookies topped with peanut butter and covered in chocolate and Do-Si-Dosóoatmeal cookies with peanut butter filling.

Others include the popular shortbread cookie Trefoil and the similar All Aboutsóshortbread cookies with Girl Scout messages on top and fudge coating on the bottom.

OlÈ OlÈs are vanilla cookies with pecan chips and coconut covered with powdered sugar. Aloha Chips, a recent addition to the cookie line-up are crunchy cookies with macadamia nuts and white fudge chips.

Where the $ goes

The $3 customers spend per box goes to a variety of sources. $1.62 goes to fund council programs and services for girls, $.89 pays for the product and girlsí incentives, $.45 pays for troop commission, $.02 is uncollected and $.01 goes to a higher education scholarship for graduating Senior Girl Scouts.

To purchase

Customers who do not know a Girl Scout can call the Cookie Hotline at 651-251-1273 to be put in touch with a local troop.

Booth sales also have been scheduled. While more locations may be added, local Scouts will be selling cookies at the Forest Lake Wal-Mart and Lakes Snyder Drug the first three weekends in March and at Rainbow Foods Saturday, March 15.

For more information visit the Girl Scout Council of St. Croix Valley online at www.girlscoutscv.org.

Top of Page