Season’s Treating

By Elise Franco

Girl Scout troops mobilize for cookie sales

The Girl Scouts use the money raised through cookie sales to fund special field trips.

MCDONALD — The season is upon us once again.

No, not Christmas. Girl Scout Cookie-selling season.

Girl Scout troops throughout the country began selling the timeless treats Sunday, and Amy Cunningham, leader of Troop 762 in McDonald, said it’s her girls’ favorite time of year.

“They absolutely love going door-to-door and selling those cookies,” she said.

Cunningham said the selling season lasts through January, and the cookies are delivered in March.

For Cunningham’s troop of 11 girls, the cookie sale is pivotal to raise money for their annual group trip, and she said this year the girls chose to go to a horse farm.

“This is what they’ve set their goal at,” she said. “A substantial amount of the money we raise will go toward that because it’s $60 per girl — probably the most expensive trip we’ve taken.”

Abbie Matig, 10, of McDonald, said the cookie sale is one of the best activities in which her troop members participate.

“We all like to see how many boxes we can sell,” she said.

Unlike some other girls, Abbie said she doesn’t have the advantage of selling a lot of cookies by sending the order form to work with her mom and dad.

“For me, it’s hard sometimes, because my parents don’t work with a lot of other people,” she said. “So we take the form almost everywhere we go.”

Though cookie season coincides with the holidays, Cunningham said it’s nothing the troop can’t overcome.

“December is kind of hard because people usually have cookies at home already,” she said. “But people know they come once per year, and it’s a special thing ... so they always buy.”

Besides a fun experience, the sales campaign teaches Scouts responsibility, Cunningham said.

“It helps them to set goals,” she said. “They realize they need to work to achieve their goal.”

Cunningham said her troop raises between $700 and $900 each year.

Gerard Kelly, area service director for Ashtabula, Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties, said the 4,000 Girl Scouts from 380 troops in the four-county region sell about 250,000 boxes of cookies each year at $3.50 per box.

Kelly said it is important for troop leaders to teach this type of financial responsibility.

“The majority of our income comes from cookie sales, and the troops use it as a financial- education tool for the girls,” he said. “The girls, not the adults, solicit the sale, do the record- keeping, deliver the product and collect the money.”

Kelly said developing their understanding of money while they’re young will help the girls when they are older.

“Financial education is important, and a lot of young people don’t get that,” he said. “We are trying to develop these girls when they are young so they understand the power of money and the consequences of lack of money.”

Besides selling cookies, being in Girl Scouts teaches girls about friendship and selflessness, Cunningham said.

“We do a lot of community- service projects,” she said. “It’s important for the girls to realize they’re not No. 1.”

Recently, the group visited Briarfield at Ashley Circle in Austintown to spend time with elderly residents.

Abbie said spending time reading to the residents taught her the importance of helping other people.

Abby Pratt, 9, said she recalled one resident who was thrilled to spend time with the troop.

“A resident said it was the best Christmas ever,” Pratt said. “Hearing that made my Christmas happy, too. It made me happy.”

Anyone wishing to purchase cookies can be connected to a local troop by calling (888) 984-4664.

efranco@vindy.com