Girl Scout Cookie Sales Start Friday

Some good news in the heart of winter in Point Borough and Point Beach: Friday (Jan. 18) marks the beginning of the annual Girl Scout Cookie sale.

Girl Scouts will begin selling Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Shortbreads, Peanut Butter Patties, Lemonades, Thanks-A-Lots and Peanut Butter Sandwiches.

Part of the revenue from cookie sales goes directly to local troops, helping them raise money for special activities, field trips and service products.

Local troop leaders also integrate the cookie sale program into teaching girls goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and ethics.

Here's want you need to know about Girl Scout Cookies sale this year:

• This year, the price of cookies will be $4 per box.
• New this year: Mango Crèmes with Nutrafusion, described as: "A tangy, refreshing tropical treat packed with great taste AND vitamins! Crunchy vanilla and coconut cookies feature a mango-flavored crème filling with all the nutrient benefits of eating cranberries, pomegranates, oranges, grapes, and strawberries."
• Girls can sell door-to-door if accompanied by an adult. And you can find troops selling cookies on future dates at local businesses such as local supermarkets.
• While cookie time lasts only through late February, cookies have a long shelf time and freeze well.
• If you are not a cookie fan or are planning on sticking to your New Year's diet, many troops are participating in service projects that allow you to buy cookies for Troops serving overseas or another local organization.
• To find cookies nearby, visit the cookie booth locator at www.girlscoutcookies.org or download the free mobile "Cookie Finder" app available for Android and Apple devices.

For the first time since 1999, all boxes of Girl Scout Cookies have a new look and a new purpose: to elevate the significance of the Girl Scout Cookie Program.

The iconic Girl Scout Cookie package showcases the five financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills and encourages alumnae to share their success stories.

Girls Scouts will also be sponsoring the Taste of Home Program, a service project for sending Girl Scout Cookies to US soldiers serving overseas and Share in the Community Program, where a girl identifies an organization like a senior center, VA hospital or food bank that she would like to be the recipient of donated Girl Scout Cookies.