GIRL SCOUTS BEGIN COOKIE SALES; SOME COOKIES HEAD TO GULF

CAPE GIRARDEAU - The annual Girl Scout cookie sale for the Otahki Girl Scout Council is now under way. Orders will be taken through Feb. 2. Cookies will be delivered Feb. 28 to March 11.

Local Girl Scouts benefit directly from the funds collected, said Millie Turner with the local council. For example: It takes the proceeds from 10,000 boxes of cookies to supplement resident camp for one summer; 8 boxes sold provides a girl and her parent the program "Growing Up Female"; 115 boxes sold provides the money for the council to underwrite Girl Scout program for each girl.

About 55 percent of the financial support for the entire council comes from the annual cookie sales.

Cookies may also be purchased and given to scouts to donate for troops in the Persian Gulf. On March 9, local Girl Scouts will be accepting donations to purchase cookies to send to Saudia Arabia. A $2.50 donation is needed to send one box; $27 donated will send one case.

Genesis Trucking will transport the cookies to Pennsylvania.

To order cookies, call the local service center at 334-7741.