It is Girl Scout Cookie sale time again, a time many people look forward to all year. Customers purchase cookies to eat, and Girl Scout troops raise money for trips and other activities.
“Last year our troop took a trip to Marengo Cave in Marengo, Indiana,” says Mary Conner, the leader for Cadet Troop 47609 in Winamac, Indiana. The troop plans a trip to Holiday World in Santa Clause, Indiana.
“We are also planning a big trip to Savannah, Georgia in the next few year,” says Mary. “We want to visit where the Girl Scouts of America began.”
According to the official Girl Scout website, the first Girls Scout troop was formed on March 12, 1912 by Juliette Gordon “Daisy” Low of Savannah, Georgia. The first cookie sales came five years later, in 1917, when a troop in Oklahoma baked their own cookies and “sold them in its high school cafeteria.”
Today there are many flavors of Girl Scout cookies, including gluten-free and vegan options. Nutrition Facts about these cookies are available on the official website. Fun Facts, like Thin Mints are the top selling Girl Scout Cookie in America, and other Frequently Asked Questions can also be found on the website.
Cookie sales fund troop activities, however, each girl can earn incentives based on how many boxes they sell. Incentives range from a special patch to prizes based on the year’s theme. They can even earn cookie “dough,” money the girls can spend on council activities or at the council store.
Cookie sales end March 8, 2016. There are eleven troops in the Pulaski County, Indiana area, so cookies are easy to find. The Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana Michiana has links for nearby cookies sales, or to order online. However, ordering online does not help a specific troop or girl. It is also important to remember not all cookies are available in all areas, and some cookies are called by different names.
