No Cookies
It happens this time every year. The mini cookie peddlers, in their green vests seem to invade many retail establishments with heavy foot traffic pushing their boxes of sugary “crack.” While I respect the Girl Scouts organization I won’t be buying any cookies, in fact I haven’t bought any in the last 2 years and this year won’t be any different.
The attraction to these boxes is pretty amazing worldwide. Prior to changing my diet I would have purchased a few boxes to help support the Girl Scouts. Now that support has waned because there is nothing healthy about these little bites of love. That in itself is an entire writeup of just how bad these cookies are for you. Sadly, you won’t eat just one.
Another topic I won’t hit upon are the GMO that are included in Girl Scout cookies including the sugar, cottonseed and soybean oil, as well as the corn syrup and soy lecithin. All these are consider toxic and contain GMOs. Yet this is another topic for another time. Little Brownie Makers, a division of Keebler/Kelloggs must be held responsible.
Reading on their website, cookie sales helps girls learn, “goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics—aspects essential to leadership, success, and life.” I don’t experience the back end of this temporary business (goal setting, money management and decision making) but like millions of others, see the (lack of) people skills and business ethics.
This year I have seen them set up outside Lowe’s and Raley’s. Not once have I been greeted with hello or a reason why they sell the cookies. The first thing out of their mouth, “do you want to buy some Girl Scout cookies?” Obviously they are after one thing, my money. Not sure what is discussed when it comes to business ethics, but to taking up post regularly at retail establishments becomes frustrating to encounter. I have been approached multiple times in a single visit, going into a store and coming out. Not sure what the Girl Scouts have to say about that. In their defense I have seen tables and girls set up at the exit of some business only.
Fundraising is at the heart of many non-profit or not for profit organizations. I have been involved in fundraising with the local PTA as well as the Boy Scouts of America. Like the Girl Scouts fundraising is a necessary part of the organization in order to function. While I have been supportive of these fundraisers, I don’t support what some of them sell.
Our PTA has an apple fundraiser each year, by far one of the biggest ones opportunities with a good return on investment to help put coins in the coffer. While the apples are large and most likely juicy they are covered with sugary crap including M&Ms, carmel, Oreo, Snickers, nuts, white chocolate and chocolate, just to name a few. So basically this fundraiser, like that of the Girls are selling nothing more than sickness, disease and obesity. Just what Americans need in a county that sees a third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of our population obese and overweight.
To date the only fundraiser I have been involved with in scouting as been the selling of wreathes during Christmas time. Another great fundraiser, at least it was for our pack this year, but having nothing to compare it with I can only go off what leadership quotes based on last year. Of course during scout sponsored events, such as Pinewoord Derby, dens were asked to bring sugared goodies that would be sold during the event to raise money for the pack. So in retrospect this sort of fundraising is no better than other organizations.
Yet the Girl Scout cookies dwarfs both the PTA and local scouting events. Based on an NBC News report, “revenue from the sales of Girl Scout cookies has been around $700 million since 1999, based on sales of 200 million boxes at $3.50 per box.”
“Donna Ceravolo, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County, New York, says a majority of the sales price of each box stays in the community. For each box sold, 85 cents per box goes to the baker to cover production, packaging, shipping of the cookies to the troop, and other incidental costs. Out of the remaining $2.65, 50 to 57 cents goes to the selling troop, which will use the funds to cover the cost of programming, community service projects and scholarships, and to offset the cost of participating in Girl Scouts.” *
While I don’t want to sound like a Grinch each time cookies selling season rolls around, I am more akin to lending support by giving a $20 donation as opposed to buying cookies. Selling seems to be so cutthroat to, with moms taking to social media, such as Facebook offering free delivery around the clock. So what are the girls doing if moms are the one peddling their cookies? Don’t see that as a good business ethic. So when school returns on Tuesday I will find my favorite kindergarten teacher and offer her $20 for her girls that are involved.
