LUMBERTON — It’s cookie season again, which means hundreds of Girl Scouts in Robeson County are hitting the storefronts with Thin Mints, Shortbreads and Caramel DeLites.
A total of 229 Girl Scouts representing 14 troops in Robeson County will be selling cookies as part of the 2019 Girl Scout Cookie Program, which is the biggest fundraising event for scouts.
Completing the lineup of cookies this year are Lemonades, Thanks-A-Lots, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Peanut Butter Patties, Girl Scout S’mores and the cookie making its debut, Caramel Chocolate Chip. The cookie features caramel, semisweet chocolate chips, and a hint of sea salt in a gluten-free cookie.
Each box of cookies sells for $4 — or, as some like to joke, five boxes for $20.
Troop Master Myra Walters said the new cookie has been a top seller for her troop this year.
“We sold out of those immediately,” Walters said. “We actually sold more than our baker could anticipate baking.”
Walters recently picked up an order of 15 cases, which is 180 boxes of cookies, for her 12-girl troop and said it has been a productive season. They range from Brownies, who are second-graders, to Senior, who are high school girls also known as Ambassadors.
“Robeson County has always has a good year with cookie season, and from what I’ve seen so far, it’s been great,” Walters said.
The goal for Walters’ troop, which is based in Lumberton, is to sell 9,000 boxes.
To prepare for each season, troop leaders go through cookie training, during which they are instructed on cookie lineups, prices, rules and regulations, and meet with cookie booth coordinators for booth assignments. Leaders then preorder the cookies and set a troop goal .
Troop Leader Crystal Edge has one of the bigger troops in Robeson County, with 32 girls. The troop, St. Pauls-based No. 3588, already has preordered 11,400 boxes of cookies. If all are sold, it will mean more than $45,000 in earnings.
“We base it off our sales from the previous year,” Edge said.
Edge’s troop sold more than 14,000 boxes of cookies this past year, and the goal this year is 15,000 boxes.
The troop’s size makes up for the legwork required to sell so many, and the girls determine the goal, she said.
“They get to set their individual goals,” Edge said. “We always encourage them to set that goal up so that they can surpass it.”
Girls use their earnings to fund experiences for themselves and their troop, including travel, outdoor adventures, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programming.
“I always try to make it a point to take my girls somewhere each year they possibly have never been,” Edge said.
This year she hopes to take the girls on a backstage tour of Universal Studios. The money also is used toward helping the community.
“Most people see it as just money for the troop, but there are other avenues,” Edge said.
Many girls put the money toward community projects in their own backyards, such as supporting animal shelters and food banks, working with local and state leaders to change laws, and more. The proceeds stay local, meaning that when consumers buy the cookies, they’re giving back to their wider community.
A recent Girl Scout Research Institute study found that two out of three girls who participate in the program learn five crucial skills: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics.
“It gives them the experience of the hard work that goes into running their own business,” Edge said. “Some girls are very shy, so having them at the cookie booth and having them speak to customers brings them out of their shell a little bit.”
All three troops agree that there is a need for parents and other adults to volunteer for Girl Scouts.
“We’ve got girls that want to be in Girl Scouts but we don’t have the troop capability to get them there,” Edge said.
Most troops have waiting lists of girls who want to be part of Girl Scouts.
Daniel Burnette leads Troop No. 1168, which has 13 girls, and has worked with Boy and Girl Scouts. She said adults get just as much out of the experience of Girl Scouts as the girls do.
“A lot of people don’t realize it but it gives you some valuable time with your own children,” Burnette said. “More people should do it.”
Burnette said that through Girl Scouts, she was able to experience things she would never have been able to do on her own.
“Everything about Girl Scouts is good and if the girls are involved and are doing something good you’re not worrying about them doing something wrong,” Walters said.
“When we invest in girls, we are giving them the opportunity to develop the skills and confidence they need to take the lead in making the world a better place,” said Lisa Jones, Girl Scouts—North Carolina Coastal Pines chief executive officer. “The Girl Scout Cookie Program has provided girls with the incredible opportunity to develop key skills like goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics while allowing them to fund once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”
Additionally, the girls will be accepting donations for Operation Cookie Drop, which gives cookies to military personnel overseas.
To find girl scout cookie booths go to girlscouts.org and click “COOKIES.”
Cookie booths will be set up around the region until March 3.
