Girl Scout Troop hopes to top last year’s total of 8,000 boxes sold
Published 5:00 pm Thursday, February 21, 2019
- COOKIES FOR SALE : Girl Scouts from Troop 5018 in Valley, have been selling Girl Scout cookies in recent days with the goal of raising enough money to go to Savannah this summer. Kaelynne, Victoria and Kate-Lynn said that sales have been good so far and they hope to make the trip this year. Melissa Borders and Carolyn Reaves are their troop leaders.
VALLEY — People who drive up and down Highway 29 on Saturdays have no doubt noticed the tent set up beside the Circle K store at the corner of 30th Street and some young girls waving signs and encouraging people to stop.
From that, it’s easy to tell it’s Girl Scout cookie season once again.
“We will be selling them through March 3,” said Melissa Borders, leader of Troop 5018. “We’ve been here on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday afternoon. Last year we sold over 8,000 boxes. We’d like to do that again this year.”
The troop has a goal of earning enough money to go to Savannah, Georgia this summer. Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low was from Savannah, and the coastal city goes all out to continue her legacy.
“Last year we went to CrestFest in Savannah, and the girls had a great time,” Borders said. “We spent four days there and went on all kinds of scavenger hunts. We also went out to Tybee Island, and they really enjoyed that.”
COOKIES FOR SALE : Girl Scouts from Troop 5018 in Valley, have been selling Girl Scout cookies in recent days with the goal of raising enough money to go to Savannah this summer. Kaelynne, Victoria and Kate-Lynn said that sales have been good so far and they hope to make the trip this year. Melissa Borders and Carolyn Reaves are their troop leaders.
According to GSUSA, the Girl Scout cookie program is the largest girl-run and girl-led financial literacy program in the world and the largest annual fundraiser in the world dedicated to girls.
The program is designed to be led and conducted by girls and not led by troop leaders, volunteers or parents.
The girls decide how to spend the money they make with 10 to 15 percent of the net revenue going to local community projects or donated to local worthy causes.
During each cookie season, Girl Scouts nationwide sell approximately 200 million boxes of cookies, generating an estimated $800 million each cookie season.
The first Girl Scout-led cookie sale took place in Muscogee, Oklahoma in Dec. 1917.
By 1922, the Girl Scout magazine “The American Girl” suggested having local cookie sales as a fundraiser.
Organized cookie sales started to grow nationwide with Girl Scouts becoming quite savvy in selling them.
The most popular type of cookie is the Thin Mint, which accounts for 25 percent of all sales. Other popular ones are the Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Peanut Butter Patties, Lemonades, Shortbread, Thanks-a-Lots, Girl Scout S’mores and Caramel Chocolate Chips.
