Cuckoo for Cookies? Girl Scout Treats Are Here

By Brenda Cusick

If you had the forethought to pre-order your Girl Scout cookies, they are now in the house.

On Monday, two huge truck loads of cookies were offloaded by a large group of volunteers. Within less than eight hours, thousands of boxes of Thin Mints, Samoas and more were turned around to the 24 Girl Scout troops who serve in Moorpark.

If you didn't pre-order your cookies, no need to despair. You'll be able to find the girls out in force starting this weekend as they booth. "Booth" is Girl Scout speak for running a short term business - e.g. - selling the cookies at a card table in front of one of our local stores.

Most people don't know that the girls themselves literally run a small business for a few weeks. The girls set a goal, make a plan, and then divide up the work. They literally make a real business plan, with marketing ideas, goals, operations and strategy.

What else do Girl Scout cookies do? Cookies help Moorpark Girls go on trips, For example, several troops from our city will go to San Francisco this spring to "bridge" from one level to the next over the ultimate bridge, the Golden Gate. Other troops will use their cookie money to help them earn the Girl Scout honor badges (bronze, silver or gold) while coordinating a community service project. The Gold Award is similar to an Eagle Scout and Moorpark produces an amazing number of Gold Award Girl Scouts. We want to keep that tradition going.

Of course, the money a troop raises is often used to go camping.

"Girls may be more modern, but the love of camping never goes out of style," said Brooke Cusick, a cadette in troop 60005. "We love to put up our tents and play 'worm wars' in our sleeping bags and of course, eat s'mores by the campfire."

If you'd like to help support Moorpark Girl Scouts as they learn to run businesses, provide community service, and learn-by-doing in the great outdoors, find a cookie booth this weekend and buy your Thin Mints. If you are on a diet, you can always buy a box and have it donated to the soldiers (a national Troop to Troop project). But don't wait! Girl Scout cookies are only available for about three weeks, then they are gone until next year.

—Brenda Cusick is a Girl Scout troop leader and serves as the service unit manager for Moorpark. She also blogs for Patch as the Avocado Diva.