Brianna Rice-Dietz, Gilpin County. Through the course of Covid-19, so many things have changed, but how have Girl Scouts changed? The things that ruin everyone’s New Year’s resolution of dieting, the cookies! Just like other groups they have had to move to virtual instead of in-person meetings. This has been difficult, for many to do, and has caused some troops to just decide to not do it at all this year.

Along with the rest of the world most of their activities were canceled, then indoor, and outdoor events. A lot of the events were in place to try and keep girls in the troop rather than losing them to sports in middle school. But with everything in the world that is going on right now everything was completely canceled. 

The restrictions for meeting are extremely strict. This includes spacing out, every girl has to sign a waiver, and permission from the school has to be granted. So, a new way had to be found and a new online program was created to try, and not completely demolish the Girl Scouts cookie sales. 

The site allows for pre-orders which had never been a thing before, then they are delivered with PPE to the front door. Sites are, for the entire troop rather than just one girl scout. One troop website is https://DigitalCookie.GirlScouts.org/scout/troop62161-512. In the Gilpin area there is only one troop selling, and one individual making a total of seven girls. The troop that is linked above is willing to sell to Nederland folks as well, as there are no Nederland Girl Scout troops selling cookies this year. 

Some troops, and parents are just going to wait for the vaccine to be more widespread. Since it is so hard to meet in person and do what they would normally do. Mainly just wanting to keep most of the girls safe rather than risking it. 

Though some troops have decided to still do cookie booths, it will be very different. Every girl will be in PPE, including disposable gloves, masks, hand sanitizer, etc. They would like to have a plexiglass shield, but with the winds that we get it is not really realistic. Normally there would be girls at three King Soopers at once, but with less cookies, it is not as easy to do.

In a normal year around 2,000 to 3,500 cookies are sold within one troop, but this year only 1,000 are being ordered. One troop will be at Kwik Mart/Sinclair in Coal Creek Canyon, Sunday, February 7, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. with a cookie booth. They are still waiting to hear back from Taggerts in Gilpin County, about a cookie booth on Sunday February 7, from 1 to 3 p.m. This would mean you could buy cookies before the Super Bowl on January 27. 

Though the demand is there, it is more challenging to sell the ever-popular Girl Scout cookies this year. They are trying their best to keep it going.

(Originally published in the February 4, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)