Mar 3, 2024 By Katherine Mansfield 4 min read

This weekend marks the first weekend of Girl Scout cookie booth sales, and local troops will set up shop outside local businesses in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties. Proceeds benefit the local scouts and their activities, programs and community service initiatives.

For years, the Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania has made it easy to thank our nation’s protectors through Operation: Sweet Appreciation, a program that donates brightly colored boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to active duty servicemen and U.S. veterans.

This year, Girl Scouts sweetened the deal by expanding the program to include local law enforcement and firefighters.

“The Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania, once those boxes are purchased, will facilitate the delivery of those cookies to our active military,” said Patricia Hawthorne, service unit leader for the National Pike Service Unit and leader of Troop 53024. “Our first responders and our police force need our support just as much as the active military. It’s great to see that addition.”

For many cookie seasons, local troops have participated in Operation: Sweet Appreciation, giving back big to those who give so much.

“I think it’s a wonderful program. I do like the fact that they included the first responders, the law enforcement professionals,” said Lainey White, leader of Troop 80012 and service unit manager for unit 5103 in Greene County. “I don’t think they advertise as much.”

Despite the program being, perhaps, lesser-known, White said one Greene County troop sold 170 boxes specifically for project OSA this year. Scouts receive a badge when they reach a number of OSA boxes sold, and earn stars for additional Sweet Appreciation sales.

But local Girl Scouts don’t simply sell cookies to meet OSA badge requirements. Each year, many repeat customers purchase cookies for direct donation to area food banks, veterans organizations and other nonprofits, and troops often themselves donate to those causes.

While Girl Scout Cookie sales closed in January, those who didn’t order delightful Trefoils or pepperminty Thin Mints, both of which pair well with coffee, there are still ways to stock up or donate brightly colored boxes of cookies to military and first responders.

“It is the first weekend of booth sales,” White said. “My troop is actually setting up … all weekend long, in Waynesburg.”

Booth sales are more important this year than in years past because, White said, cookie sales are down. This year, cookie prices increased by $1. Though she welcomed more girls into the troop, the troop’s overall cookie sales did not increase.

“My numbers stayed relatively the same. My numbers should have gone up. Some people would say, ‘Sorry, financially, we can’t do it this year.’ That was a surprise to a lot of us,” White said.

Washington County Troop 52021 will also supplement its cookie sale with booth sales at spots throughout Canonsburg, and plans to donate cookies to area veterinary offices, including the humane society.

“Our troop, particularly, does a Gift of Caring, which kind of piggybacks off of (OSA),” said Lorry Jankowski, cookie manager for Firefly Service Unit and leader of Troop 52021. “One of our troops donates to Canonsburg Hospital; they do little baskets. We’ve done fire, ambulance.”

Along with spreading cheer, cookie sale proceeds also contribute to local Girl Scout activities and programs, projects and community service initiatives.

Jankowski’s troop is looking forward to camping this year, thanks to cookie sale funds. Hawthorne’s troop is camping, too – with a twist.

“The girls are really excited about a horse camp experience,” Hawthorne said, noting the girls will spend a weekend engaged in horse-related activities. “We’re going to watch the solar eclipse. We’ll be in totality. They’ve been looking forward to a big trip. We’re excited to be able to give this to them.”

Hawthorne and other troop leaders stressed it’s the community’s support that makes experiences like camp possible. That’s why Scouts will set up booths outside local businesses in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties on most weekends and some evenings through the end of March.

To locate a Girl Scout Cookie booth near you check out the Girl Scout cookie locator online at https://www.gswpa.org/en/cookies/find-cookies.html.