Cookies have been good to Girl Scouting. The profits from Cookie Sales have enabled councils throughout the USA to buy and maintain properties that are enjoyed by thousands of girls every year. Troops and service units have also received funds that have provided for events, financial assistance, trips, program, and other budgeted items.

All of this is possible because originally a troop thought that selling cookies would be a good way to raise money. The girls made their own cookies and sold them in their neighborhood. The sale was successful and then eventually became a national project with Girl Scouts of the USA leading the way.

On the GSUSA Web site, an article from The American Girl Magazine of July 1922 tells that Ms. Neil, a director of the council in Chicago, Illinois, provided a recipe to the council’s 2,000 girls. Neil even

estimated the cost per batch and suggested a selling price of 25 cents a dozen.

In our own Council there is history of Girl Scouts baking cookies in a department store window downtown in Houston. They were then sold to the public for 25 cents. This sale was recorded in 1925.

Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council like most other Councils has grown to depend on the cookie sale for many of its financial needs. It is also an important program because girls learn about budgeting and goal setting. It generates funds that benefit every girl in our council by supporting property maintenance and building repair. The sale reminds the public, every January, that Girl Scouting is a strong organization in southeast Texas.

Thanks to Carole Lowenkron, Margaret Sheriff, and Sherry Williams for their research