RIVERDALE — Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey and the Blue Star Mothers of America are once again joining together to send servicemen and women “Cookies From Home.”
For the past three years, Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey has partnered with Blue Star Mothers of America to promote this program to cookie customers who want to support active servicemen and women and Girl Scouts. During initial order taking and during cookie booth sales, customers can purchase cookies that are donated to Blue Star Mothers of America, which then arranges shipment of the cookies to U.S. troops.
“Servicewomen and men love receiving Girl Scout cookies since it is a small reminder of home,” said Betty Garger, president and CEO of Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. “It is a rewarding experience for the girls and the volunteers who want to give back to those serving our country. We are so grateful for this partnership with Blue Star Mothers, which help us ship the cookies at no charge.”
This year alone, more than 50,000 packages have been donated to the “Cookies From Home” program, where 95 percent go to Blue Star Mothers of America. The remainder will be donated to local food pantries in northern New Jersey.
Girl Scout cookies are on their way to northern New Jersey and cookie customers can purchase cookies at booth sales outside of local businesses through April 26. If invited through an email from a Girl Scout, customers can also order cookies online and have them designated for “Gift of Caring.” Those cookies will be donated to Cookies From Home and will only cost customers a little over a dollar for shipping. Seven varieties of cookies are being sold at $4 a box, including a new variety of oatmeal raisin cookies, called “Rah Rah Raisin.” The traditional favorites of Thin Mints, DoSiDos, Tagalongs, Trefoils and Samoas will be offered along with Savannah Smiles. At booth sales, a variety of gluten-free cookies, “Toffee-tastic” will also join the lineup. Because Toffee-tastic is gluten free and costs more to produce, the variety will sell for $5 per box.
To find the nearest cookie booth sale location, customers can visit www.gsnnj.org; click on "Cookies and More" in the banner across the top, then choose "Cookie Sale Program." Click on the cookie locator on the right side of the page. By simply typing in a zip code, customers can find the nearest Girl Scout Cookie booth sale.
More than two-thirds of the female CEOs on the Fortune 500 list were Girl Scouts and many say they learned basic business acumen by selling Girl Scout Cookies. The Girl Scout Cookie program teaches five financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.
The activity also generates funds for Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey and helps pay for volunteer training, program activities for girls and the maintenance of camp properties and service centers. All cookie proceeds stay in the local community. Troop proceeds from the cookie program are often used to pay for community service projects like beautification plans or collection drives, in addition to girl program activities and trips.
For more information about the cookie sale or to find a troop selling cookies, visit www.gsnnj.org, or call the nearest service center, located in Riverdale, at 973-248-8200.