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Date: 1/25/2023
WESTFIELD — Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts recently kicked off their 2023 cookie season. Cookie lovers get these once-a-year iconic treats like Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils, Lemon-Ups, gluten-free Toffee-tastic, Girl Scout S’mores and Adventurefuls, which debuted last year. Girl Scouts and their troops will be selling cookies from now through March 19.
For local troop leaders, Girl Scout cookies aren’t just a snack, but the product of the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world and the fundraiser for a year’s worth of adventures.
“The Girl Scout program empowers girls to be strong women through activities that build courage, confidence, and character,” said Diana Jay, who leads Troop 40064 of Junior, Cadette, Senior and Ambassador scouts, and Troop 40353 of Daisy and Brownie scouts. She’s also the service unit manager for the troops in West Springfield and Westfield. “I’ve watched these girls grow into young women, adults, and I want to see them succeed. It’s so important that they have a place where they’re not competing against each other, they can be themselves, they’re accepted, and that is just the best thing ever.”
Kaitlin Paulson is an Ambassador scout with Troop 40064 and a senior at Westfield Technical Academy. She’s been a Girl Scout since the second grade. Her friend always went to meetings and Paulson always wondered what it was like. One day she attended a meeting with her friend, came home and told her mother she wanted to be a Girl Scout. Ever since then, Paulson has stuck to it.
“It’s like a second family to me,” Paulson said. “We’re all sisters and we get along. You have someone to talk to when you’re feeling down. We have a sisterhood that bond us for life.”
Her goal this year is to sell 900 boxes, but she’s hoping to go over that number. It’s either Thin Mints, Samoas or the Do-Si-Dos that are the top sellers. Right now, she and her troop are talking about an overnight trip to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, the type of program that cookie sales can help fund.
“I love being a Girl Scout,” Paulson said. “I love selling cookies because I love making people happy.”
Beginning Feb. 27, cookie lovers will be able to purchase cookies to be shipped directly to their homes, by entering their ZIP code at girlscouts.org/en/cookies.html. The website can also be used to find a local public sale, to purchase cookies and to donate cookies for local community causes. Cookie fans can also text COOKIES to 59618 to stay informed about where to purchase Girl Scout cookies and other Girl Scout news.
Dana Carnegie, the communications manager for Central and Western Mass. Girl Scouts, said scouts are cleared for in-person sales this year, as “2023 marks more of a return to normal year. … Girl Scouts is still all about safety. Our number one priority is safety for the girls and consumers as well. The girls will be out and about with cookies in hand. Every purchase during cookie season fuels local Girl Scouts’ adventures throughout the year.”
Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts serves over 5,000 girls in kindergarten through grade 12, with the support of over 3,000 adult volunteers in 186 towns and cities. There are 79 girl scouts in Westfield, 35 in Southwick and two in Russell.
The first delivery of cookies arrived in Western Massachusetts on Jan. 14. So far, 1,558 cases (18,672 packages) have been distributed to Westfield scouts, 584 cases (6,993 packages) to scouts in Southwick.
The Girl Scout Cookie program teaches girls financial literacy, planning, budgeting, teamwork, innovative thinking and confident decision making. It is one of the few youth programs where the participants get to decide how they use their proceeds. Girl Scouts are using proceeds for local programs, far-off travel and summer camp. Many of them are giving back to their community by donating to an animal shelter, food pantry, or military personnel. It’s up to the individual girl and the troop to decide how they use their proceeds.
“The Cookie season is special every year,” said Carnegie. “What’s unique this year is the new Raspberry Rally cookie, the first in the Girl Scout Cookie lineup to be exclusively offered for online sale and direct shipment only during the 2023 Girl Scout Cookie season adding the e-commerce component to the Girl Scouts’ entrepreneurial skills. This approach will help to guide the evolution of the cookie program for the digital future.”