Support our (Girl Scout) troops

I’ve been spending my hard-earned summer pay primarily on fancy coffee and cheap pizza, but I think I’ll diversify next weekend and grab a few boxes of Girl Scout Cookies.  

That’s right — the girls are back in town. If you haven’t already ordered from a green-vested lassie, they’re scheduled to have a booth at the Marsh Supermarkets during the weekends of Feb. 25-27, March 4-6 and March 11-13.

It doesn’t matter if you’re more concerned with your wallet or your waistline, a box only costs $3.50, and they’re called Thin Mints for a reason.

If you’re not a cookie monster like me, then just think of the children and buy the cookies anyway. About 70 percent of the Girl Scout Cookie proceeds stay within the local group to fund the girls’ field trips and community service projects.

This year, the Girl Scouts of Southwest Indiana are up 7 percent with initial cookie orders, Product Sales Manager Cheryl Voight said.  

Already at 445,000 boxes of cookies, the Girl Scouts of Southwest Indiana hope to sell an additional 55,000 boxes from booths around the area to meet their 2011 goal of 500,000.  

And if prospective consumers are having problems finding these booths, a new app for iPhone and Android is available.

By using GPS, the program maps “neighborhood cookie sale locations” and can even send texts to remind users of the cookie sales’ dates.  

Even for the smartphone-less folks, the official Girl Scouts website makes the cookie hunt easy. Just enter a zip code, and you’re well on your way to Cookie Mountain.

As if this technological support wasn’t enough, there are even guides for determining an individual’s “cookie personality.”

One analysis from Better Homes and Gardens suggests that Trefoils are for those with class and grace; that peacemakers grab for Do-Si-Dos and that Tagalong-people “ponder life’s deeper meanings and philosophical quagmires.”  

Only the Thank You Berry Munch cookie is associated with the surprisingly bold description of “maverick,” though.  

These classifications are cute, but as far as I’m concerned, a cookie is a cookie. It doesn’t matter what name it has or whether it contains chocolate, nuts, fruit, frosting or coconut. I’m not picky; I’ll take them all.

And why not? The price is right, the cause is just and by next week, the girls will be ready and waiting.

Really, there are no excuses for avoiding these kids. Give them the few bucks and make them smile. Your taste buds will be happy too.


E-mail: paihenry@indiana.edu