Peabody Girl Scouts Get Creative With 2020 Cookie Sales

PEABODY, MA — The box of Girls Scout Cookies, and the cheery scouts selling them, are seemingly omnipresent at stores and strip mall lots throughout Peabody each year.

Only this year, amid the coronavirus health crisis, the call of Thin Mints, Shortbreads and Peanut Butter Patties has gone silent.

So, along with most Girl Scout activities, the time-honored tradition of cookie selling has been adjusted to fit the reality of 2020.

"Girl Scouts this year are totally different than it was," Peabody Troop Leader 70355 Amy Cosimelli told Patch on Monday. "There is no knocking on doors. No cookie booths at stores. The girls have had to get pretty creative."

That has meant moving cookie sales completely online, with the girls creating flyers and posters they hand out in the neighborhood to advertise, and parents posting the availability of the goodies on social media.

Cosimelli said one post on a Peabody community Facebook group Saturday night yielded 37 boxes sold by Monday afternoon. She added that the Peabody troops have divided the times they are allowed to post so that all troops in the city will have a chance to sell some cookies, while being careful not to overwhelming users with solicitations.

Those wanting to purchase some Girl Scout cookies in Peabody can do so here.

The cookies are not only quite tasty, their sales help the girls raise money to support troop activities throughout the year.

This year, of course, those activities have been quite a bit different.

Cosimelli has daughters ages 6 and 9 in different troops that have tried to help out the community during a tough time.

When some planned field trips were canceled in March, the troops got together to help clean up the Peabody Rail Trail and collect donations for the Northeast Animal Shelter.

"The Rail Trail was great because it's a place they all know and use," Cosimelli said. "The trash bags they had were bigger than them."

Cosimelli said the troops continue to meet, but do so outside in a socially distanced way, per state guidelines.

"We used to meet at Danvers Library and now we meet at the park," Cosimelli said. "Last week we had the girls bring blankets and spread out on the basketball court. They all know they have to wear masks and socially distance.

"Basically, we are trying to think of ways to keep it exciting and interested while being outside."

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Cosimelli said that while many people buy the cookies for themselves to enjoy, some will donate them back to the troops, who then donate them to those who could use a sweet pick-me-up in times of trouble or isolation.

Last year, Cosimelli said the younger troop donated 43 boxes to the No Child Goes Hungry in Peabody project, while the older group donated 100 boxes to troops stationed overseas, with a military family stationed in Kuwait writing back to thank the girls for their kind gesture.