The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped one annual tradition: Girl Scout Cookie season. The 2021 selling campaign has begun, so this week we speak with Kathryn-Marie D. Gregory, Girl Scouts’ membership director for the North Carolina Coastal Pines area serving Chatham and Orange counties, about how the program works and how new buying options have made it even easier to get your cookie favorites in a safe, effective way.
A native of eastern N.C., Gregory has worked in youth mentorship and communications.
“As a single mom of three, the work that I do for Girl Scouts within our local communities is very significant and meaningful to me,” she said.
Gregory’s career with the Girl Scouts includes serving as a New Troop Specialist before taking her current post. A former Girl Scout herself, Gregory now has a daughter in a local Brownie troop.
The 2021 Girl Scout Cookie season has officially kicked off and goes through March 7. We all love cookies, but of course this program is more than just about that. Can you talk about why it’s important for the girls and the troops?
Yes! The Girl Scout Cookie Program is integral to the success and development of our girls and troops. When you make a Girl Scout Cookie purchase, you’re helping the next generation of young female entrepreneurs get an important taste of what it takes to be successful — teamwork, planning and a positive outlook!
And because proceeds from your purchase stay local, you help the awesome entrepreneurs who sell Girl Scout Cookies in your community power new experiences for themselves and their troop. When you support her success through the Girl Scout Cookie Program, you’re narrowing the entrepreneurship gap between women and men by nurturing that go-getter spirit early on and equipping her with the confidence and know-how to dream big and do bigger.
Through the program, girls learn five essential skills: Goal Setting, Decision Making, Money Management, People Skills and Business Ethics. Your cookie purchase is an investment in the world-changing business leaders of tomorrow!
What else about Girl Scout membership is beneficial?
By joining Girl Scouts, girls and volunteers become a part of the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world and will have access to a global network of connections and opportunities through our organization. Through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience — a collection of engaging, challenging and fun activities like earning badges, going on awesome trips, selling cookies, exploring science, getting outdoors and doing community service projects — girls will prepare for a lifetime of leadership, success and adventure in a safe, no-limits place designed for and by girls.
Our memberships offer girls and volunteers the ability to build important skills, develop interests and participate in hands-on activities in four areas that form the foundation of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience: STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), Outdoors, Life Skills and Entrepreneurship.
How has COVID-19 changed the selling process this year?
The pandemic has caused many cancellations for our young people, but it is no match for Girl Scouts.
Our top priority during the Cookie Sale this year is the safety of our girls and volunteers and it is awesome to see all of the fun, creative and safe ways that girls are engaging this year. We now have virtual booths, limited capacity booths, contactless pickup and delivery, new direct ship options and personal social media links for girl and troop sales.
Some of these participation options are completely online, while other options require participants to wear a mask, practice social distancing outdoors and sanitize their hands often. We have even partnered with Grub Hub to offer cookie delivery in select areas!
When it comes to Girl Scout cookies, we each have a favorite. But what’s the most popular in this part of North Carolina?
Our bestsellers, we like to call them the “Trifecta,” are the green, purple and red boxes: Thin Mints, Caramel Delights and Peanut Butter Patties. Of the three, Thin Mints is our top seller every year!
Tell us about the Toast-Yay! — which is new in the lineup this year…
We are so excited to introduce the newest Cookie in our lineup, the Toast-Yay! This cookie is a French-toast inspired shortbread cookie dipped in delicious icing and full of flavor in every bite! This year is also the last year for our S’mores cookie, so be sure to grab a few boxes if you’re a fan of those, and be on the lookout for a new cookie in the near future!
There are lots of ways to purchase Girl Scout cookies, including some new ways. Online ordering starts Feb. 1…can you walk us through the purchase options?
Actually, online ordering directly from girls has already begun. Girls are sharing their personal order links to social media, which is a brand new feature for us this year! The most traditional way for Girl Scouts to sell cookies has always been face to face. This year girls will be placing door hangers throughout their neighborhood in lieu of traditional door-to-door sales. If you don’t have a girl in your neighborhood or in your social media groups to buy from, you can check out our digital Girl Scout Cookie Finder to enter your zip code and find a local booth near you! You can locate the Cookie Finder on our website or you can download the Girl Scout Cookie Finder app straight to your smartphone. What begins on February 1 is the launch of GSUSA’s National Cookie Ordering platform, where anyone can place a direct ship order online without knowing a Girl Scout, and proceeds will benefit troops in your local Council.
Chatham County has several troops reaching across the county from Silk Hope to Bonlee to Pittsboro, serving girls from grades K through 12. They are actively selling cookies and open for new girls to join! Please check out our website at www.nccoastalpines.org to learn more about our Council and click on the “Cookies+” tab to find cookies near you!