In a return to normal after a tough couple of years, Girl Guides are now selling cookies across B.C.
At a Delta warehouse Saturday (March 12), hundreds of cases of chocolate and vanilla sandwich cookies were loaded into group-leader vehicles for distribution to young Girl Guides to sell door-to-door and outside retail stores in Metro Vancouver.
Every $5 box of cookies helps fund outdoor camping adventures, science events, art workshops, community service projects and more.
鈥淥bviously we鈥檝e been restricted over the past couple of years during the pandemic, and changed the way the cookies were sold, but this year it鈥檚 pretty much a return to normal for us,鈥� said Diamond Isinger, B.C. Provincial Commissioner for Girl Guides of Canada.
The cookies are sold until stock runs out, for a limited time.
鈥淲e鈥檙e selling tens of thousands of cases the spring, and we鈥檙e expecting our cookie order will increase coming into the fall, with the return of our mint cookies at that time, and what we hope is a full recovery from the pandemic 鈥� more camps, trips and other special opportunities that require fundraising,鈥� said Isinger.
She acknowledges a public debate over Girl Guides鈥� spring (chocolate/vanilla) and fall (mint) cookie sales.
鈥淎ll of the cookies are very well loved,鈥� she insisted, 鈥渂ut the orders we get are typically the same in spring and fall, very similar demand in our communities. Many people like both, some like one or the other, but yes, it can be a polarizing debate.鈥�
A can be found on the website girlguides.ca.
I'm first to open a box of Girl Guides cookies this week, as sales start across B.C.
鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
The debate is: Are the mint ones sold in fall better than the chocolate/vanilla cookies of spring?
(No, my package-opening skills aren't great)
STORY:
Dare Foods makes the cookies and ships them across Canada with the help of AMJ Campbell Van Lines.
At the Delta warehouse on River Road, close to 3,500 cases of cookies were shipped this week. With 12 boxes per case, that鈥檚 around $210,000 in cookies to sell.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e hot off the production line, and are fresh for people to enjoy,鈥� Isinger said.
Other cookie warehouses are located in Victoria, Prince George and Kelowna.
Two years ago, in the very early days of the pandemic, Girl Guide cookies were shipped to local warehouses the week everything shut down.
鈥淧eople may remember that we partnered with dozens of retailers across B.C. to stock our cookies on shelves,鈥� Isinger recalled. 鈥淲e also sold the cookies online and also encouraged our members to offer delivery where possible, as opposed to setting up in public.
鈥淚 think we learned a lot of valuable lessons and ideas during the pandemic,鈥� she added, 鈥渁nd the Girl Guides motto, to be prepared, certainly helped get us through that experience and to continue our fundraising and our programming.鈥�
Across B.C. heading into the pandemic, Isinger said, 鈥渨e had 18,000 girls and woman involved with us, and we have several thousand members in the Surrey and Delta area, in the Fraser Valley area too.
鈥淥ur programs are in very high demand right now, so in terms of finding enough volunteers and creating enough spaces for girls to participate, we鈥檙e always looking for support to keep growing.鈥�
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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