Girl Scouts will be selling cookies from Jan. 19 to March 12
The Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey (GSCSNJ) announce the movement-wide celebration of the 100th season of Girl Scouts selling cookies. A century ago, girls started participating in what would evolve into the largest entrepreneurial training program for girls in the world: The Girl Scout Cookie Program, through which girls learn the essential skills they need to become effective leaders, manage finances, and gain self-sufficiency and confidence in handling money.
To commemorate this banner year for the organization, the highly-anticipated Girl Scout S'mores cookies are now available, joining classics like Thin Mints and Shortbread cookies. "What an exciting time for Girl Scouts! As we celebrate 100 years of Girl Scouts selling cookies, we also have the wonderful opportunity to introduce a new cookie to our line-up. The Girl Scout S'mores cookies represent our traditions, our ties to the outdoors and camping, and our innovation over the years as our cookie is a unique take on the classic s'more recipe." shared Ginger Haithcox, the manager of product pales for GSCSNJ.
Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Shortbreads, Caramel deLites, Lemonades, Thanks-A-Lots, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Girl Scout S'mores can be purchased from the Girl Scout troops for $4 per box. Select locations will also be selling a limited supply of the gluten-free Trios cookie; chocolate chips nestled in a gluten-free peanut butter oatmeal cookie, available for $5.
The sale of cookies by Girl Scouts had humble beginnings, born as a way for troops to finance activities. The first known sale of cookies by Girl Scouts occurred in 1917, when the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, baked cookies and sold them in its high school cafeteria as a service project. As the Girl Scout Cookie Program developed and evolved, it not only became a vehicle for teaching five essential skills -- goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics -- it also enabled collaboration and integration among girls and troops of diverse backgrounds.
Girl Scout Cookies play a huge role in transforming girls into GIRLs (Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders) as they learn essential life skills that will stay with them forever. Starting from its momentous, first known sale, Girl Scout cookies have gone on to become an indelible part of American pop culture and history -- and have enjoyed support from some equally iconic figures and notables.
Babe Ruth promoted the Million Cookie Drive during the 1924 World Series. Former First Lady Lou Henry Hoover inspired the first organized national sale of Girl Scout Cookies in 1933, and girls used cookie earnings during this time to help communities cope with the debilitating effects of the Great Depression by collecting clothing and food for those in need. And when the popularity of Girl Scout Cookies soared higher than expected in 1936, commercial cookie bakers were called in to assist in making the sweet treats. Last year, the 88th Academy Awards had the audience eating out of Girl Scouts' hands, with film stars clamoring to buy and munch on cookies during the telecast.
This year, Girl Scouts will be sponsoring the "Cookie Share" Program, a service project for sending Girl Scout Cookies to U.S. soldiers serving overseas. Last year, over 1,900 cases of Girl Scout Cookies were purchased for the soldiers and donated through this program. The 2017 Girl Scout cookie donation goal is 2,017 cases. Consumers can purchase additional cookies from any Girl Scout to donate to the military.
Girl Scout Cookie fans can find their favorite cookies online by downloading the mobile app available for Android and Apple devices.
Girl Scouts of Central & Southern N.J. is the premier organization serving 19,000 girls in over nine counties. For more information on how to join, volunteer, reconnect or donate to Girl Scouts of Central & Southern N.J., call 1-800-582-7692 or visit www.gscsnj.org. You can also connect with GSCSNJ on Twitter @GSCSNJ or Facebook.com/GSCSNJ.
This item submitted b Emily Mullen for Girl Scouts of Central & Southern NJ Inc.