| Do
you have a favorite story about Girl Scout Cookie Sales? Do
you know when Girl Scout sales really started? It is hard
to find an unanimous opinion on the subject. First someone
will ask: “Do you mean Council cookie sales of GSUSA
approved commercial cookies, or do you mean the first troop
that sold cookies to raise funds for a troop activity?”
According
to the GSUSA publication, Highlights in Girl Scouting,
1912-2001 the “earliest known mention of a cookie
sale” was in the Rally magazine in 1917. That was 86
years ago! The Rally only started being published
in October 1917. Three years later in 1920 the Rally became
The American Girl Magazine.
The Mistletoe
Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, was the first troop who reported
its cookie sale to the Rally. Troop members baked the cookies
and sold them in their high school cafeteria. They used the
money to buy khaki handkerchiefs and ingredients to make candy.
They sent the homemade candy and handkerchiefs to soldiers
who were fighting in World War I.
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In
1922, The American Girl Magazine had an article about
cookies that included a recipe to use. This article was written
by Florence Neil, local director (CEO) in Chicago. She suggested
a selling price of 25 to 35 cents per dozen cookies.
The first
mention of Girl Scouts in Houston selling cookies was in 1925.
During “Cookie Week” Girl Scouts baked and sold
cookies each afternoon. They baked the cookies in a kitchen
set up in the window of the W. C. Munn department store on
the corner of Travis and Capitol in Downtown Houston. When
the cookies were baked, girls bagged them and went out on
the street and sold them to people passing by. Proceeds of
the sale were given to the Community Chest (now called United
Way) and to a national headquarters fund.
Girl
Scouts continued to sell homemade cookies in all parts of
the country raising funds for local Girl Scout programs. It
is believed that Greater Philadelphia Council was the first
to sell commercially baked cookies in 1934. Two years later
GSUSA began to license commercial bakers to make Girl Scout
Cookies. By 1937 there were 125 councils selling official
Girl Scout Cookies.
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The food
shortages and rationing of sugar and
other foods during World War II curtailed the sale of Girl
Scout Cookies. After the war was over Girl Scout Cookies Sales
expanded again.
The first Cookie Sale in the area now served
by GSSJC was by the East Texas Area Girl Scouts. They started
selling offical Girl Scout Cookies in 1947 when the council
was chartered.
Houston and Harris County Girl Scouts first
sold official Girl Scout Cookies in 1950. All of the proceeds
of the sale were used to fund camps. At that time Camp Agnes
Arnold and Camp Robinwood were new and needed development.
For a number of years all of the cookie sale profits were
dedicated for camps. Currently it is used for a much broader
range of services for the entire Council.
The History Committee would be happy to receive
any favorite Girl Scout Cookie Sale stories. Send them to
GSSJC, Margaret Sheriff, 3110 Southwest Freeway, Houston,
TX 77098. |