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Date: 1/25/2023
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Just after dawn, Girl Scout troop leaders began arriving at a parking lot to load up on cases of Do-Si-Dos, Thin Mints, Tagalongs, Samoas and other cookie favorites.
Between 7 and 11 a.m. on Jan. 14, vehicles snaked through Rave Cinemas parking lot in West Springfield. More than 8,000 cases — about 100,000 boxes ready to sell — were unloaded from two tractor-trailers, stacked and transferred to waiting vehicles.
Known as Cookie Drop Day, it marked the beginning of Girl Scout cookie season.
Jessica Gonzalez, program manager at Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts, led the Cookie Drop in West Springfield. She said 50 to 75 troop leaders were expected to arrive to pick up orders to bring home and sell.
Troop leaders remained inside their vehicles while dozens of volunteers brought their orders to them. Gonzalez said it’s an efficient method, as volunteers can easily pluck cases from waiting stacks organized by cookie type.
“Everything is going smoothly and right on time,” she said around 8:30 a.m. while checking in vehicles. “The weather is fairly decent, too. Some years we’ve done this in rain or snow.”
Gonzalez explained that the cookie program helps a wide range of girls, from kindergarten through high school.
“It’s more than just selling cookies — it’s a way to help them gain skills they can use. They learn how to set goals and pitch ideas.”
The West Springfield site was one of four locations in the state’s central and western regions. Dana Carnegie, the scout region’s communications manager, said the four cookie drops brought to the region an initial run of 33,619 cases (403,428 packages) of cookies.
“Prices haven’t increased from last year,” Carnegie said. “Most varieties are $5 per box. Toffee-tastics — the gluten-free cookie — and Girl Scout S’mores are $6 per package.”
“This is a long-standing tradition for the Girl Scouts,” said Maria Aquadro of Westfield as she waited in line. “My favorite is the Tagalongs.”
The assistant leader of Westfield’s Troop 64630 said the money girls earn from selling cookies helps pay for camp and other activities.
“This is the core of the Girl Scout program,” said Amy Jamrog, a board member for Girls Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. “In addition to gaining leadership experience, girls learn marketing skills, business skills, money skills, and how to work as a team,” said the South Hadley resident.
Nikki Henry, her sister and leader of South Hadley’s Troop 65193, added, “It helps girls build confidence and learn entrepreneurial skills at a young age.”
She said her Brownie and Junior scouts decide what they will do with proceeds from cookie sales.
“Usually, we donate to a charity and then do something special for our troop — like an outing. The rest goes for supplies,” said Henry, a troop leader for three years.
Heather Brophy has been involved with the Girl Scouts in Easthampton as a leader for two troops,12960 and 64658, for more than a decade. She became a troop leader when her daughter was 5. Her daughter, now 16, was waiting for her to bring home the cookies.
“She’s already gone around the neighborhood and taken pre-orders and wants to fulfill what she’s promised. She’ll be delivering them today. There will be a lot of smiles on our neighbors’ faces when she brings the cookies,” Brophy said.
Christine Ferguson was impressed with the whole operation.
“This is my first year picking up cookies and it’s just a great experience,” said the leader of Troop 65353 in West Springfield. “There was a lot of hype about this, and it certainly lived up to that.”
Ferguson picked up 94 cases of cookies that will be sold by the nine girls in her troop.
“They’ve taken orders from family and friends. The rest we’ll sell at cookie booths.”
Agawam High School senior Sam Morse was among volunteers loading cookies into vehicles. The 17-year-old was fulfilling his community service requirement as a member of the National Honor Society.
“I don’t know anything about the Girl Scouts, but I wanted to have a new experience, so I decided to do the Cookie Drop,” he said. “Everyone has been super-friendly and very welcoming.”
Karen Senk and Jillian O’Brien, both of Chicopee, were among 15 to 20 Civil Air Patrol members volunteering at the Cookie Drop.
“It’s the best event we do — I like to see where all the 8,000 cookies wind up once we unload them from the trucks,” said O’Brien. She’s volunteered for the past six of the 15 years the Civil Air Patrol has been at the event.
“We have a good team here – they’re super-friendly,” added Brien.
Senk, a four-year veteran of the cookie operation, arrived at 6:30 a.m. to help unload. Responsible for supervising senior and cadet Civil Air Patrol volunteers, she added that the effort was one of the ways her group gives back to the community.
“It’s always a fun event. It’s a cold day, but it’s been a joy to do. Besides, everybody loves Girl Scout cookies,” said Senk.