They come in many varieties from samoa to trefoils to do-si-dos and the ever-popular thin mints.
Other flavors include lemon cream, sugar-free and chocolate chip.
And new this year comes dulce de leche, a blend of caramel and cinnamon.
All brought by an army of young saleswomen, almost 1,000 strong.
The annual Girl Scouts cookie sale begins in the Valley this weekend with hundreds of troops spanning four counties canvassing neighborhoods with their boxes of goodies — at $3.50 each, of course.
There is a plus.
All of the cookies have zero trans fat, according to Diana Mack, a mother with the local Girl Scouts troop association for the Lewisburg and Mifflinburg school districts, who said proceeds from cookie sales are a main supporter of troop activities throughout the year.
“The troop profit is totally used by the girls to help cover the cost of the troop activities,” said Mack, who did not have estimates readily available of how much local troops raise. “The money is then used for field trips, speakers and other activities for the girls. The money is also used to purchase craft supplies, as well as badges and awards the girls earn.”
Local girls will begin their neighborhood campaign Friday in preparation for the cookie delivery on Feb. 23. Other troops in the region will begin their sales this week, too, according to Chad Smith, communications manager for the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania.
“The best part about the program is that the girls decide what they want to do with the proceeds,” said Smith, who said the regional council does not release information on sale proceeds. “We prefer to focus on what the girls are doing in each area. Some areas are larger and have more girls, so we don’t want to discourage the smaller troops. They work real hard every year to sell cookies so they can achieve the goals they set for themselves.”
Smith said most troops use the proceeds to fund field trips and activities.
Some donate to local charities, according to Smith, who said there are 116 troops that serve approximately 925 girls in Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties.
“All of the proceeds, even the portion the council receives, stay here in the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania region,” Smith said. “That money is then used to create programs and services that are directly used by Girl Scouts in Union, Montour, Snyder, and Northumberland counties. The money is also used to provide financial assistance for girls who cannot afford Scouting, developing programs and activities for girls and maintaining and improving our 12 resident camps.”
Smith said there are a lot of other programs affected by the cookie sale.
“One great program is our ‘Gift of Caring’ piece of the sale,” Smith said. “If people don’t want to actually take home the cookies, they can buy a box to be donated to a local group. We call it Project Cookie Jar.
“The troops get to pick who receives those boxes. Most often girls choose local firefighters, police officers and veterans groups.”
n E-mail comments to jnorth@dailyitem.com.
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Girl Scouts: It’s crunch time in the Valley
Annual cookie sale gets under way Friday
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