Girl Scouts sell cookies and share smiles

Rowan Marshall and Olivia Weigle may have stood outside for hours in 20-degree weather, but these girls are two smart cookies.

The pair of 13-year-old Girl Scouts of the United States of America were all smiles when they set up shop on Franklin Street on Saturday to sell Thin Mints , Caramel deLites and 10 other cookie types.

“(My favorite part is) probably just the smiles on people’s faces when they see it and getting the cookies,” Marshall said. “They really enjoy it.”

The selling season began Jan. 4 when the girls started selling cookies door-to-door. Last week, the girls took to the streets to sell cookies outside of local business with cookie booths.

Girl Scouts sold more than 90,000 boxes of cookies in Orange County last year, raising more than $315,000.

“We take pride in knowing we are the largest girl-led business,” said Krista Park, spokeswoman for the N.C. Coastal Pines Girl Scout Council .

The council covers 41 counties, from the Triangle to the East Coast.

Sierra Richmond, Orange County Area Cookie Manager , said she hopes the girls in Orange County will sell more than 100,000 boxes this year.

Park said girls in the N.C. Coastal Pines Council sell much more than the national average of 135 boxes per girl.

“A typical girl in our council sells 226 boxes of cookies,” Park said. “Our girls exceed the national average by a good number.”

Drive-thru cookie booths are also open at the Girl Scout service stations in Fayetteville, Goldsboro and Raleigh.

There are 12 varieties cookies for sale this year, including the new gluten-free Chocolate Chip Shortbread and the Cranberry Citrus Crisps.

The cookies sold in the Triangle area are made at ABC Bakers.

All boxes in this area are $3.50 a box, except for the Chocolate Chip Shortbread, which is $5.00 a box. Richmond said the cost of each box will likely increase next year.

The cookie program is the primary fundraiser for Girl Scouts, Park said.

Of every purchase, approximately 70 percent of the proceeds stay within the local council. The funds are then used to pay for activities and trips for the troop.

The girls also collect donations during the cookie sale period to donate to Operation Cookie Drop.

The money then buys cookies, which are sent to seven military sites across the region, including Fort Bragg Army Base in Fayetteville.

The military sites then ship the cookies overseas for deployed personnel to enjoy.

More than 95,000 boxes were shipped to the military last year through Operation Cookie Drop, Park said.

Marshall said her favorite kind of cookie is the Caramel deLites, while Weigle said she enjoys the Thin Mints.

Park said there isn’t one cookie that has emerged as the favorite.

“We have a long history of a tie between the Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Caramel deLites,” Park said. “Thin Mints are in close running with the Caramel deLites.”

The cookie sale ends March 2.

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