It's March! In addition to Groundhog Day, St. Patrick's Day, and the First Day of Spring, March is also the month of Girl Scout Cookies!!!
If you are a woman of a certain age and a former Brownie or Girl Scout or a parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, or neighbor of a scout, then surely you have memories of selling, purchasing, and devouring these iconic cookies.
But how did it all begin?
The sale of cookies to finance troop activities began as early as 1917, five years after Juliette Gordon Low started the Girl Scouts in the U.S. The Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, baked cookies and sold them in its high school cafeteria as a service project.
In the 1920s, armed with a recipe from The American Girl magazine, scout baked their own simple sugar cookies with their mothers and help from the community. These cookies were packaged in wax paper bags, sealed with a sticker, and sold door-to-door for 25 to 35 cents per dozen.
In 1933, scouts in Philadelphia baked cookies and sold them to the city's gas and electric company for 23 cents per box of 44 cookies, or six boxes for $1.24.
By the mid-1930s, the Scouts of Greater New York bought its own die in the shape of a trefoil and used the words "Girl Scout Cookies" on the box. A year later, the national council began licensing the first commercial bakers to produce the cookies.
During World War II, when sugar, flour, and butter were rationed, the scouts sold calendars to raise money activities. After the war, cookie sales increased, and by late 1945, twenty-nine bakers were licensed to bake cookies.
In 1951, the cookies came in three varieties: Sandwich, Shortbread, and Chocolate Mints (now known as Thin Mints). With the rise of the suburbs in postwar America, the scouts began selling cookies at tables in shopping malls.
In the 1960s, as Baby Boomers expanded Girl Scout membership, cookie sales increased. Fourteen licensed bakers were mixing batter for thousands of cookies. They also began wrapping the cookies in foil or cellophane to protect them and preserve freshness. At the end of the decade, all cookie boxes--no matter the baker--featured the same design and depicted scenes of the scouts in motion, including hiking and canoeing.
To keep up with the trend of healthy eating in the 1990s, low-fat and sugar-free varieties were added. And with the coming of the 21st century, a gluten-free cookie was added to the list.
Girl Scout Cookies have always been about more than just raising funds for the Girl Scouts. The cookie program is also a way to support local communities and give back to those in need.
Girl Scout troops use a portion of their cookie sale proceeds to support community service projects, such as food banks, animal shelters, and disaster relief efforts. Additionally, many troops participate in "Cookies for a Cause" programs, where they donate cookies to local organizations or charities. Buy buying Girl Scout Cookies, you're not only getting a tasty treat--you're also supporting a good cause.
Coming Soon!!
An outlaw looking for a fresh start.
A schoolteacher who might hold the key to the entire town’s salvation.
Ash “Shotgun” McCrae can never make up for all the wrong he’s done. After leaving a notorious outlaw gang, he thought he’d discovered the peaceful existence he’d been looking for when he found work laying tracks for the railroad in Rivers Bend. Yet, when trouble shows up in town, he fears he may never free himself from the burden of his past.
Schoolteacher Kate Cummings stands as the one bright light in contrast to the curious looks and behind-the-glove whispers blowing through the town. The arrival of Padraic “Patch” Rooney and his gang challenges the small-town serenity she holds dear. Still, her steadfast trust in Ash awakens the strength of courage within them all, giving rise to the collective defiance against the approaching danger.
In a deadly game of dangerous outlaws and secret schemes, Kate and Ash must decide whether they are willing to risk everything for their love, including their lives.
