PHOENIX — Girl Scout Cookie Season is quickly coming to a close. The Arizona Cactus-Pine Council is wrapping up on February 28.
To justify any cravings out there for the famous cookies, ABC15 Arizona asked Heather Thornton and Hope Bellefeuille to discuss where the money goes after buying a box.
Thornton explained 100% of their sales stay local.
"We support our summer camps and programming for all girls. We provide financial assistance to make girl scouting possible and then something that the girls do, their funding all of their different skill-building experiences and their service projects," Thornton said.
"Most girls, especially last year... our cookie sale ended right before COVID hit. So, girls had all of these plans and then they couldn't do them and most of the troops re-directed all or a big portion of their funds into service projects that supported the community around COVID-19. So, girls are constantly serving the community with what they earn from cookie sales." Thornton added.
For many troops, selling in-person and going door-to-door was not an option this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
With February quickly passing us by that means the end of Girl Scout Cookie Season is quickly coming to an end on Feb. 28.
But many of can’t help but wonder, where does the cookie money go?
Did you know that 100% of GSACPC Cookie proceeds stay local to benefit Girl Scouting in Arizona?
Girl Scout Cookies’ proceeds:
· Help girls fund local Girl Scouts’ Take Action projects for the community and girl-led adventures for troops.
· Fund High Award projects that impact the community, like hosting a camp for youth, donating to those in need and improving community parks. In 2020, many Girl Scouts sewed masks and made care packages to donate to essential workers, including physicians and hospital staff, grocery store staff and first responders.
· Cover the cost of running the Girl Scout Cookie Program, including the costs of cookies, materials, and logistics.
· Help GSACPC provide Girl Scout programs in STEM, the outdoors, life skills, entrepreneurship, camps, and leadership training, to all girls regardless of financial situation.
· Maintain and improve the four local camp properties and the financial assistance that keeps Girl Scouting available and affordable for all girls.
Hope Bellefeuille has been a Girl Scout for 4 years in the East Valley. While she has sold online before with Digital Cookie, she is excited to get back out there and sell in-person.
With the funds her troop has raised over the season, they plan on organizing a food drive to help those in need during the pandemic.
"A lot of people need to eat... and it makes me feel really happy to help other people out," said Bellefeuille.
To find troops in your area to buy cookies from, click here.
