The Haines Borough has suffered a decade-long drought of Girl Scouts, which ended this winter when three local moms started a new troop. And, as KHNS’s Jenn Shelton reports, their Daisies are poised to let a truckload of Girl Scout cookies rain down on the valley this March.
A blue Toyota truck was spotted leaving Alaska Marine Lines in Haines on Tuesday. The back was loaded down with a large pallet of once-scarce delicacies: Samoas, Do-si-do’s and Thin Mints, to name a few classics.
Themed “Unbox the Future,” the Girls Scouts of America’s 2024 Cookie Season is offering nine different cookies to choose from. Retro flavors like Trefoils are on the menu, and newer flavors like the gluten-free Toffee-tastic are making the rounds. This year’s lineup, however, does not feature a new flavor.
But for Amanda Hammel and two other Haines moms who started a Daisy troop in December, everything is new to them. Hammel says that co-leading the troop has been a learning experience.
“Everything goes through Anchorage,” said Hammel. “And Anchorage is a big city. So it’s a very different mentality for Girl Scouts in Anchorage than it is in a small town like Haines. In Anchorage girls can go get more cookies. You have to sign up for booths back in January. It’s very rigid and we’re much more fluid. It was very difficult getting them to help us set up everything.”
While meeting twice-a-month and earning their first badges, the troop managed to simultaneously navigate the challenges of getting cookies processed and delivered to Haines. The girls will have to sort the cookies and fulfill their pre-orders before the excess is available to be sold to the public. Hammel said the troop plans on setting up four booths over the next month, where they will sell cookies for six dollars a box.
Cookie sales are intended to strengthen entrepreneurial and life skills. According to the Girl Scouts website, the program focuses on goal setting, money management, people skills and business ethics. Hammel told KHNS that her troop–made of Kindergarten and first graders–has already shown benefits from the program, by flexing both math and social muscles.
“At the Daisy level, since they’re so young, our main focus is on talking to people,” said Hammel. “Actually talking to people. My daughter, the only word she could get out to somebody was ‘cookies,’ and then she would hand them the piece of paper. So we’re working on complete sentences and talking to people about what they are. And she was able to say, ‘These are six dollars.’ And then, also, once we do start taking money for the cookies we are working on money skills with the girls as well.”
All proceeds from cookie sales remain local. As part of a goal setting exercise, the Daisies voted to allocate their profits from this year to arts-and-crafts supplies for the winter, and camping once the seasons change. The troop plans to meet year-round.
Jemma Carter is a member of the troop. She is six, but wanted me to clarify that she is almost seven. I asked Jemma what she is most excited about as a Girl Scout.
“Sleeping outside,” said Carter.
Jemma’s mom, Lori Carter, is one of the co-leaders and her five-year old daughter is also in the troop. She told KHNS that she was never a Girl Scout herself, but was excited when troop leader Amanda Brandon asked her to help. Carter said that as a year-round resident, she welcomed a new activity available in Haines. And she said she’s been impressed by the program.
“It seems to instill these values for community and kindness,” said Carter. “And it’s so funny. I was telling my mom yesterday. It’s like, ‘Oh yeah. These are all the things that I thought I would teach my children kind of by osmosis. If they saw me picking up trash in the street, I thought that was something that was something would happen more naturally.’ But I think Girl Scouts is such a quality program because we’re giving these opportunities to really talk and share and really learn some of those community and personal, kindness like qualities with our friends, in those meetings.”
Troop 23071 is a Daisy troop, meaning it is officially open to grades K through one. Hammel says the troop is accepting members, and that older girls are welcome to sign up if their parents are willing to be involved to help split the members into age-specific activities.
