Annual Girl Scout Cookie Program Begins

It's the tastiest time of the year -- Girl Scout cookie time! The Girl Scout Cookie Program has begun with local Girl Scouts going door-to-door to take your order. The Girl Scout Cookie Program runs through April 3 and includes nine delicious flavors: Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Shortbread, Thanks-A-Lot, Lemonades, Cranberry Citrus Crisps, and new this year, Gluten-free Trios. The Gluten-free Trios are available only during booth sales at local merchants beginning Feb. 19. All Girl Scout Cookies are $5 per box.

If you don't know a Girl Scout #CookieBoss, email your contact info to cookierequest@girlscoutsmoheartland.org to connect with a local Girl Scout, to place an order for yourself, or to make a Cookie donation to the Cookie Share Program. Donations to the Cookie Share Program go to local military personnel or to support a local organization as specified by individual troops, such as a food pantry, family shelter, or military unit that is special to them.

All proceeds from Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland's Girl Scout Cookie Program stay within our local council and benefit local Girl Scouts; girls earn troop proceeds and Girl Scout Cookie Credit that can be used to pay for Girl Scout camp, community service projects, Girl Scout uniforms, and more. Additional proceeds help to fund financial assistance, volunteer training and support, and program resources.

The greatest benefit of the Girl Scout Cookie Program, which is the leading entrepreneurial program for girls, is the leadership skills that girls learn. By managing their own cookie program, from initial goal-setting at the beginning to evaluation at the end, girls have a hands-on experience in running a small business. Girl Scouts decide how many boxes of cookies they want to sell, and are then responsible for managing their own resources including time, energy, and family support in order to reach their goals.

The tangible business and life skills that girls learn through the Girl Scout Cookie Program include goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.

For information about Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland or the Girl Scout Cookie Program, please visit www.girlscoutcookies.org or call (877) 312-4764.