Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Caramel deLites, and Lemonades are among the well-known cookie flavors sold by girl scouts everywhere each year. It’s always a treat to receive a colorful box of cookies or pick up a box after a Saturday Stop and Shop run, but you might not know that each year the girl scouts not only sell cookies, but also use the cookie profits to give back to the community.
This year, the “Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England (GSSNE) has donated 42,000 Girl Scout Cookie packages this year to local organizations throughout the community through a local community service project called Cookie Share. These organizations included the Rhode Island Food Bank, Women & Infants Hospital, Meals on Wheels, Welcome House of South County, Miriam Hospital, Comprehensive Community Action Program (CCAP), the Jonnycake Center, and several local senior centers.” Giving back to, connecting with, and supporting others in the community is a huge part of the girl scout’s mission.
In addition to the cookie package project, troop leaders and members can nominate an organization to receive the Cookie Program Community Service Project. This year, troops were able to collectively donate $2,132 to this year’s winner, the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island. They are an organization that is “Dedicated to the care of injured and orphaned wildlife in Rhode Island, the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island, and Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island (WRARI) have been providing direct, hands-on medical and rehabilitative care to ALL species of injured or orphaned wildlife in the state since 1993. Their organization assists more than 6,000 wild patients annually, with the goal of releasing them back into the environment.” The girls are so excited to be able to vote on which organization wins each year, and they get to attend a program given by the winner, where the girls learn about the impact they have on the world around them.
While each troop makes a difference with each cookie sale, The Apple Valley Service Unit, which includes troops from Smithfield, North Smithfield, Johnston, and Scituate, really stood out. Johnston based Troop 171, had the highest per girl sale average in the unit, and were very active in the whole cookie selling process. And Troop 212 is the largest troop in the service unit and has the best overall sales for the unit. Congratulations to all the girls in these troops, and all the troops who participated!
I was able to speak with Ginger Lallo, the Chief Operating Officer at Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England. She was so excited to let me in on the positive impact this Community Service Project has had on the girls she has seen over her 20-year career at GSSNE. She said that a lot of the girls, motivated by the difference they made as girl scouts, choose to go on and pursue a career in philanthropy, and want to make an impact in the world. This project is a steppingstone and oftentimes a spark for these girls, and a great opportunity to connect with the world around them. She said that it really helps the girls pay more attention to helping others, and it’s really “heartwarming to see that even at a young age, these girls are engaged and learning about the great work people do in the world around them.
“The Girl Scout Cookie Program—the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world—funds life-changing programs, experiences, and learning for local youth and Girl Scout troops all year long. 100% of the proceeds from the Girl Scout Cookie Program stay local, powering essential leadership development programming and meaningful community impact.”
Keep up the good work girls!