By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Hands-down the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Girl Scouts, sales of delectable treats like Thin Mints and Carmel deLights (aka Somoas) have been slow this year — meaning many hard working Scouts weren’t able to earn a free trip to Girl Scout Camp this summer.
“One of my biggest Troops is down about 1,000 boxes this year,” explained Diamond Area District Manager Theresa Dube; the Diamond Area includes troops from Caribou, New Sweden, Fort Fairfield and Limestone and totals over 100 Girl Scouts.
The good news is that there’s still time to support the scouts in their fundraising.
While the price of cookies is up this year — $4 a box — individuals get more from a box of Peanutbutter Patties than delicious peanutbutter cookies.
“You’re supporting an organization and you’re supporting the girls,” Dube explained. “Our girls can only have a couple of fundraisers a year, so the money that they do get will help them go to different events locally.”
Whether the troop goes to the movies, rollerskating, swimming or attend a a fun, community event, troop proceeds from cookie sales helps pay the girls’ way into those fun events.
For every $4-a-box treats the girls sell, 75 cents comes back to help them pay for patches, pins, badges, uniforms and fun activities that help the Scouts learn leadership, friendship and overall good values.
Every girl that sells over 310 boxes of cookies in January gets a free trip to Girl Scout Camp in the summer.
“I’ve been selling Girl Scout Cookies since first grade and now I’m a freshman in high school,” wrote Sarah Draper of Troop 1092 in a letter sent to the Girls Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of Maine. “As I’ve gotten older and once the Free Camp Week has been an incentive, I have worked even harder because I really enjoy going to camp.”
But whatever the reason — January’s bitter cold temperatures, a 25 cent increases in cookie costs this year or even a bit of competition from stores selling similar cookies for less — only one girl in the entire Diamond Area was able to surpass the 310 boxes required for free attendance to summer camp.
“Other than that, the next highest amount of cookies sold was 57,” Dube said. Her own two daughters, who usually sell 100 boxes each, only sold 30 this year.
“It’s not that we didn’t try — we went to the same places that we always did — but people just weren’t buying,” Dube said.
While January sales were less than ideal, there’s no keeping down the area Girl Scouts.
Draper’s Troop for instance, co-lead by Jaqui Tourk and Nicole Spencer, is planning to hold a Cookie Caravan in Presque Isle on Saturday, March 9 and (tentatively slated) another cookie drive in Caribou to help the troop reach their fund-raising goal — and if that isn’t enough, they may even hold a Cookie Booth sale.
Dube’s troops aren’t done selling cookies either, and they’re determined to help raise funds for their trip this September to New York City.
The Girl Scouts of Troop 709 and 405, which Dube co-leads with Moriah Haines and Penny Thompson, respectively, have been fundraising for two years in order to afford a trip to New York City; while the Troops get 75 cents from every box of cookies, Dube’s troops are doing things a little differently this year to help the girls get to NYC.
“We still have some stuff that we’re going to be doing for our Troops that’s going to cost us money, but we told our Scouts that they can have 50 cents from each of however many boxes they sell to be put towards their trip to New York City,” Dube said.
Those wishing to help support the worthwhile organization by helping with cookie sales are encouraged to get in touch with an area Girl Scout or Girl Scout Troop Leader.
