Valley scouts kick off cookie sale

By EMMALEE C. TORISK

etorisk@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Barbara Murray last sported a Girl Scout uniform more than 50 years ago, but she can still picture the hunter green A-line skirt and crisp white blouse, topped by a matching green sash adorned with merit badges of all sorts, from sewing to swimming.

It helps that she’s held on to her uniform for all those years, pulling it out every so often to prove to others just how much it has changed — and also to reminisce.

“I have a lot of good memories as a Girl Scout,” said 65-year-old Murray of Struthers, a Girl Scout from the first through eighth grades, during a recent trip to the Central YMCA in Youngstown.

Among those memories, she added, is the selling of Girl Scout cookies.

Back then, the annual cookie sale was something that Girl Scouts took “very seriously,” Murray said, with members going door to door in their neighborhoos, armed with cookie order forms, to earn money for their troop activities.

Not much has changed, said Kim Graves, communications manager for the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, which encompasses an 18-county region which includes Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

The only major changes, she added, have been the expansion from just one type of cookie — shortbread — to eight; the increase in price from 25 cents per box to $4; and the shift from home-baked goods to commercial-baked.

But since its inception in 1917, about five years after the organization was formed, the cookie sale has been the primary fundraiser for Girl Scout troops across the U.S.

It’s also the country’s largest girl-led business and the foremost financial literacy program for girls.

Last year in Northeast Ohio alone, 22,489 Girl Scouts — of about 35,000 registered Scouts in the region — sold about 2.9 million boxes of cookies, earning an average of 64 cents a box for their troops, along with a host of leadership skills: goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics.

“Those are skills that are going to serve them in their lives, no matter what they decide to do,” Graves said.

This year’s cookie sale began Monday, while delivery will commence during the week of March 8.

Cookie booth sales will follow shortly afterward, on March 14, and the sale will end March 30.

To find nearby cookie sales, download the Cookie Locator app, visit the cookie website, or call 1-888-9-THIN-MINT.

Graves noted that because the Girl Scout cookie sale happens only for a limited time each year, it’s something most people anticipate.

People definitely have their favorite types of cookies, she said, adding that Thin Mints — a chocolate and mint-flavored cookie — are overwhelmingly most popular.

Last year, participating Scouts in Northeast Ohio sold 774,027 boxes of Thin Mints alone.

“They’re unique,” Graves said of Thin Mints. “You can buy Oreos at the grocery store any time you want, but Thin Mints are once a year.”

Samoas — which contain a mix of caramel, coconut and dark chocolate flavors — come in second place, with 525,413 boxes sold last year.

Other types of cookies for sale are Tagalongs, a peanut butter-filled and chocolate-coated cookie; Trefoils, a traditional shortbread cookie; Do-Si-Dos, an oatmeal sandwich cookie with peanut butter filling; Savannah Smiles, a lemon wedge cookie topped with powdered sugar; Dulce De Leche, a bite-sized, caramel chip-filled cookie; and Thank U Berry Munch, a cookie full of cranberries and white fudge chips.

The latter two types will only be available during the preorder stage, and will not be stocked at the cookie booths.

Almost half of the 13 Campbell Middle School students recently offered samples of Girl Scout cookies preferred Thin Mints.

Kila Miranda, 13, a sixth-grader there — said she liked the scent of Thin Mints.

“I like mint gum,” Kila said. “[Thin Mints] make my breath smell good.”

The cookies that came in second place with the middle school students were the Trefoils, which 10-year-old Keila Cortes, a fifth-grader, described as tasting like bread — in the best possible way.

In third place were the Samoas, which fifth-grader Aaliyah Smith, 11, said were delicious, mainly because of their texture.

“If you like Twix,” Aaliyah said, referring to the candy bar, “you would probably like this, with a cookie layer and a caramel layer.”

Murray named Trefoils and Thin Mints as her favorites.

“Both have two individual tastes,” she said. “Both are good with coffee and tea.”

Laura Dooley, membership coordinator at the Central YMCA and a former Girl Scout, said Tagalongs are her top choice because the crispy cookies perfectly combine “the best of all worlds,” with their blend of peanut butter and chocolate.

Growing up in Minford, Ohio, with a Girl Scout troop leader as a mother, Dooley said she was often surrounded by cases and cases of cookies — and loved having the chance to taste the new varieties each year.

But she most appreciated the skills gained from the sale and from Girl Scouts overall.

“Some people think Girl Scouts is only about selling cookies and making money,” Dooley said. “But that’s not all Girl Scouts are. You learn a lot.”