It’s the time of year where local Girl Scouts stand outside stores and sell their famous cookies. Due to the pandemic, though, things will look different. Here are the ways to buy cookies while still supporting the Girl Scouts in our community.

Girl Scout cookies have been a staple since their first sale in 1917. While being delicious, they also allowed girls to learn important skills like goal setting, money management, and people skills. Now that keeping girls safe is the priority, the Girl Scouts of Western Washington has decided that there will be no store sales this year.

Instead, as of January 22^nd, all the Girl Scout cookie flavors that you know and love will be available for preorder and online. By contacting a local girl scout you know or by using the cookie finder to find contact-free booths in our area, you can still order the cookies while staying healthy.

If you don’t happen to be close to a booth, or you do not know a girl scout to preorder from, don’t worry! Girl Scouts has been using an online platform to sell cookies since 2014.

Digital Cookie is a website where girls can manage inventory and sales while continuing to set goals and learn business tactics. For everyone else, this site is a place where you can buy your favorite cookies and have them delivered to your door. You can even have them shipped from girls across the country! However, this process is easiest when you know a scout in your area to give you her storefront URL.

Luckily, we have some scouts at Glacier Peak who have been helping our community for years. One of these is troop 43742, which consists of ­7 girls who are freshmen this year. “With COVID, we’ve had to work even harder and become more resilient when it comes to selling cookies.” says ­­­Hailey Kenyon, a member of the troop. If you would like to order from the troop, you can click the link here: https://digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/troop43742-688.

While not everyone can buy cookies, it is important that those who can still get them locally. The money from these cookies goes to the troops and funds Girl Scout events. Many troops, including 43742, also use the money to make donations to charities and buy supplies for those in need.

The Girl Scouts have shown that even though this year has gotten off to a rocky start, there are still many ways to make the season sweet.