Michiana Girl Scouts start selling cookies January 10

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind.—Make room in your cupboards, Michiana: it’s cookie season.

Michiana’s Girl Scout Troop Leaders descended upon Cookie Central in South Bend on Friday to load up on boxes of Girl Scout cookies as sales for the 2020 season begin.

Throughout the last two days, over 72,000 boxes of cookies have been distributed from Cookie Central in South Bend, according to Product Program Assistant Chelsea Wilson.

“Girls across our area will start selling cookies. We are pretty unique in the area, we do a direct sale so cookies will be in the girls’ hands to give to our customers on Friday,” Wilson said.

Wilson has spent the last 15 years involved with the Girl Scouts, going from being her daughter’s Troop Leader to becoming a staff member for Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana.

Individual Troops decide where they will set up for business but Wilson said that typically, community members can find Girl Scout cookies being sold by Troop members at stores like Joann’s Fabrics, Lowe's and Dunkin’.

It’s the last year for the shortbread cookie backed with chocolate called the Thanks-A-Lot.

“If it’s your favorite, you should stock up because this year is the last year, next year we will get a new cookie,” Wilson said.

Michiana Girl Scouts use ABC Bakers and therefore, won’t be selling the new Lemon-Ups. Instead, they’re selling their longtime lemon cookie, Lemonades.

“There are two bakers that bake for Girl Scouts. One is ABC Bakers, which we use here. We have the Thin Mints, Caramel Delights, the patties. The other baker, Little Brownie Bakers, they have a new cookie and it is remarkably similar to our cookie but they have the Samoas, the Tagalongs,” Wilson said.

Michiana Girl Scouts sell the following flavors: Thanks-A-Lot, Girl Scout S'mores, Lemonades, Shortbread, Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Caramel deLites, and Peanut Butter Sandwich.

This year’s cookies are wrapped in new packaging. Wilson said they showcase current Girl Scouts out in the communities they live in doing activities from camping and canoeing to designing robots.

“It’s so much more than a cookie. Our girls are learning business skills, they’re learning goal setting, money management, they’re learning people skills and these are things that they’re going to carry through their entire lives with them,” Wilson said.

Wilson said that all money earned by local Girl Scouts stays in the area to fund their programming, camps and more.

Don’t know a local Girl Scout? You’re in luck. Head over to the Girl Scout’s website to use their Cookie Locator tool.

The 2020 Cookie Season runs until March 8.