CookiesHere’s everything you need toFAQs know about the amazing 2021 Girl Scouts of Central Texas Cookie Sale. Contact: Kursten Mitchell When will Girl Scout cookies be on sale this year? Chief of Marketing and Communications Cookie sales run from January 20 – February 28, 2021. 512-490-2385 [email protected] What is the history of Girl Scout Cookie sales? Girl Scout Cookies had their earliest beginnings in the kitchens Sierra Fernandes and ovens of girl members, with their mothers volunteering as Director of Product technical advisers. The earliest mention of a cookie sale was that of Programs the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, which baked cookies 512-490-2326 and sold them in the high school cafeteria as a service project in [email protected] December 1917. The first sale of commercially baked Girl Scout Cookies was in Philadelphia in 1934. In 1936, the national organization, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), licensed the first commercial baker. Today, two bakers are licensed to make Girl Scout Cookies: Little Brownie Bakers (LBB) and ABC Bakers. Girl Scouts of Central Texas switched back to ABC Bakers in 2017. What is the current membership number at GSCTX? The membership of Girl Scouts of Central Texas includes nearly 18,000 girls and more than 12,000 adults. How many GSCTX members will sell cookies in 2021? 10,719 girls participated in last year’s cookie program. We anticipate similar participation this year. What are the numbers for last year’s sales at GSCTX? 3,057,449 total boxes sold Each girl sold an average of 287 boxes. GSCTX grossed over $12 million dollars in cookie sales. Where does the money from cookie sales go? • 53% Girl Programming • 29% Troop and Service Unit • 12% Fund development; management and administration When a girl puts her • 6% Rewards mind and energy into something, she can It is important to note that the money raised from the sale of Girl Scout cookies in Central Texas stays in Central Texas. GSUSA receives accomplish anything! no money from our cookie sales. www.gsctx.org ❧ www.gsctx.org/contactus ❧ 800-733-0011 How do girls benefit from selling cookies? What are the bestselling cookies? The Girl Scout Cookie program is a financial literacy Thin Mints are the top-selling Girl Scout cookie in the US program as well as a fundraising activity. The Girl Scout and have typically outsold Oreos during the first quarter Cookie program is the world’s largest entrepreneur of the year. Caramel deLites are the second best-selling business and is girl-led. Through “learning by earning,” cookie. Girl Scouts aims to empower girls through the development of five essential skills: goal setting, money Are Girl Scout cookies healthy? management, people skills, decision making, and Girl Scout cookies are a treat and we strive to make business ethics. them as healthy as possible. All varieties are cholesterol and trans-fat free. There are no preservatives or How do I find cookies? artificial coloring in our cookies. Customers who do not know a Girl Scout can use the Girl Scout Cookie Finder located on our website at www. Do Girl Scouts sell vegan or gluten-free gsctx.org/findcookies cookies? What is Digital Cookie? Yes! ABC Bakers has 4 cookies that are made with vegan ingredients (Thin Mints, Lemonades, Peanut Our council’s participation in Digital Cookie is one of the Butter Patties, Girl Scout S’mores) and and a special- many ways we work to move at the speed of girls by order gluten free cookie (Trios). giving them access to 21st-century tools and skills. Smart Cookies is Girl Scouts own Why is there palm oil in Girl Scout cookies? virtual office for the world’s largest Palm oil is an ingredient found in the majority of girl-led business! Smart Cookies baked snacks sold in the US. GSUSA’s licensed bakers offers girls the opportunity to tell us it continues to be necessary to use palm oil customize their own cookie in our cookies to ensure shelf life, to bring you the website and reach customers highest quality, best-tasting product, and to serve as electronically by sending ecards. an alternative to trans fats. The world’s food supply is Through Smart Cookies, girls can set and track goals, intricately tied to the use of palm oil, and we believe engage with customers through email marketing, and promoting proper manufacturing principles is the accept donations for our military program, Operation most responsible approach to how Girl Scouts and Girl Cookie. Customers can also select an option to have Scout Cookie development is advanced. That is why cookies shipped directly to them (shipping costs apply), we pushed our licensed bakers to become members a great option for family supporting their Girl Scout of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), from out of state. an organization of growers, buyers, manufacturers, What are the different flavors of cookies conservationists, and interested parties, who are and why do they have different names striving to develop and follow best practices to ensure an ethical supply chain. from sales in past years? The cookie flavors are: Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, What is Operation Cookie? Peanut Butter Patties, Shortbread, Peanut Butter Throughout the sale, community Sandwich, Lemonades and Toast-Yay!, Girl Scout members can purchase boxes of S’mores, and a new limited quantity gluten free cookie, cookies for soldiers. At the end of the Caramel Chocolate Chip. sale, we have a huge packing party with There are two bakers for Girl Scout Cookies: Little Girl Scouts, volunteers, and military Brownie Bakers (LBB) and ABC Bakers. In the 2017 sale, women and men. We pack care packages complete GSCTX switched back to ABC, after being with LBB for 3 with toiletries, snacks, notes and, of course, COOKIES! years. Each baker has different names for the cookies These care packages are then shipped to troops with the exception of Thin Mints. They are all delicious stationed both in the United States and overseas. with slight variations. For instance, Samoas (LBB) are also use hand sanitizer and avoid touching their face. comparable to Caramel de-Lites (ABC); Samoas have Customers may purchase cookies online or through a dark chocolate and toasted coconut, Caramel deLites cookie seller. Contactless deliveries can be made by have milk chocolate and coconut. communicating a drop-off location and time. www.gsctx.org ❧ www.gsctx.org/contactus ❧ 800-733-0011 GSCTX Cookies FAQ 2021 – 2 What are the safety precautions for selling Are facemasks required to purchase cookies during COVID-19? cookies in-person? Girl Scouts can sell cookies virtually or in person when Whether a customer is required to wear a mask is up they feel it is safe to do so and follow the Girl Scouts of to the discretion of caregivers and adults supervising Central Texas COVID-19 guidelines. Mask must be worn cookie booths. If you choose to require masks of cus- at in-person cookie booths or when interacting with tomers, this should be politely and clearly communicat- potential customers. Girls and adults at booths should ed to customers. Girl Scouts of Central Texas strongly also use hand sanitizer and avoid touching their face. encourages those operating cookie booths post signs at Customers may purchase cookies online or through a the booth with the message to customers that masks cookie seller. Contactless deliveries can be made by are required. Printable signs and other cookie booth communicating a drop-off location and time. assets can be found at www.gsctx.org/cookiebooth. www.gsctx.org ❧ www.gsctx.org/contactus ❧ 800-733-0011 GSCTX Cookies FAQ 2021 – 3 TheSensitive following FAQs address Issues some controversial topics that have come up during Cookie season in prior years or issues that have been in the news recently. What is Girl Scouts’ position regarding from that Southern town’s prominent families, but sexuality, birth control, and abortion? also girls recruited from the orphan asylum and the local synagogue. During WWII, Girl Scouts served GSUSA and GSCTX do not take a position or develop Japanese-American girls in internment camps, and in materials on these issues. We feel our role is to help the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King praised Girl Scouts girls develop self-confidence and good decision-mak- as a force for desegregation. Girl Scouts has always ing skills that will help them make wise choices in all blazed new trails with the purpose of making our world areas of their lives. We believe these issues are best a better place to live. We are proud of our non-discrim- handled in private between a girl and her parents. ination heritage and policies within our councils. We Parents or guardians make all decisions regarding are an organization of 3.2 million Americans. Do we program participation that may be of a sensitive have members who lean to the left? Yes. But we also nature. Consistent with that belief, GSUSA directs have members that lean far to the right—and from our councils, including volunteer leaders, to get written perspective, all are welcome. parental permission for any locally planned program that could be considered sensitive. What is Girl Scouts’ position regarding the Boy Scouts announcement on recruitment Does Girl Scouts accept LGBTQ individuals of girls? as members? Girl Scouts remains committed to and believes strongly The Girl Scouts value diversity and inclusiveness and, in the importance of the all-girl, girl-led, and girl-friend- therefore, do not discriminate on any basis. However, ly environment, which creates a necessary safe space we do not permit the advocacy or promotion of a per- for girls to learn and thrive.