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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2017)
LIFESTYLES WEEKEND, FEBRUARY 18-19, 2017 Staff photo by E.J. Harris Girls Scouts Lillie Ruiz, 11, Abbi Burleson, 7, Emily Credille, 10, Kayleigh Hearne, 10 and Skyla Parrish, 9, stand with a portion of the Girls Scout cookies they plan on selling this year. The girls are all members of Troop 51425, which had the highest cookie sales in the region last year. By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Hundreds of cardboard cases line the walls and cover the small room’s hard fl oor in the bottom of Hermiston’s First United Methodist Church. The cases, displaying shiny labels of green, orange or purple, are full of boxes. And those boxes are full of Girl Scout cookies. Girl Scout Troop 51425 of Hermiston aims to sell at least 4,000 of those boxes, matching what it did last year. The 10 girls of the troop join millions nationwide at stands and booths in the annual push of the cookies. Troop-mates Abbi Burleson, 7, and Emily Credille, 10, said the toughest part of the effort is fi nished — hours of walking neigh- borhoods to go door-to-door while pulling a wagon full of cookies. Amber Ruiz-Burleson, troop leader and mom, said the troop also did well with pre-sales, so it has a good start on that 4,000 box goal. Several members of the troop met Wednesday afternoon, the countdown to table sales ticking away. All said Samoas and Thin Mints are the favorites, and they work a basic sales pitch to draw customers. “Hello, would you like to buy some cookies?” about sums it up. Kayleigh Hearne, 10, now in her third year, said customers often ask the troop members what their favorite cookies are, and that’s a good way to make a sale. Skyla Parrish, 9, is in her second year as a Girl Scout and said each time she sells cookies, she gets a little less shy. Abbi in 2016 sold 1,100 boxes, making her the top local cookie seller. Troop members said Abbi’s secret to sales success is simple — she’s adorable. Amber said there’s no doubt the older the girls get, the harder they have to work to sell the cookies. People fi nd it much easier to turn down a preteen or teen than their cherubic counterparts. But this crew doesn’t let rejection get them down. Kayleigh Hearne, 10, a third year Girl Scout, said you still say “thank you,” even when the answer is “no.” “We have a pretty social group of girls,” Amber said. The troop has a sweet memory from last year’s sales of a truck driver who bought cases of cookies. Not just boxes, the girls stressed, but cases. Lots of them. Lillee, the veteran of the group with four years of Girl Scouting behind her, never saw anything like it. Image from collection of Girl Scouts of the USA. Used by permission Girl Scout cookies are sold everywhere, 1950s. Image from collection of Girl Scouts of the USA. Used by permission Girl Scout Brownies and Intermediates posing at a Girl Scout cookie display, 1960. “That astonished me,” she said. Money from cookie sales stays local, and troops use the dough for activities, out-of- town trips and to benefi t the community. Troop 51425 last year enjoyed the Polar Express Train Ride on the scenic Mount Hood Railroad. The troop’s list for an excursion this year includes the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, and Silverwood Theme Park near Athol, Idaho. But the scouts’ more immediate focus is on their community project. The troop wants to raise money to establish a small emergency pantry in Hermiston. They would stock the pantry with essentials, the girls said, such as toothbrushes, toilet paper and gloves. Amber said they are still working out details, including the location, but the idea mimics community bookshelves, where people can take one book and leave another. Girl Scout cookie table sales began Friday morning outside popular customer centers, such as Walmarts, Safeways and truck stops. And 2017 marks 100 years of Girl Scouts selling cookies. The organization’s chapter of Oregon and southwest Washington will commemorate the banner year with the intro- duction of a new cookie, Girl Scout S’mores cookies. Like the other batches, those are available while sales last now through March 12. ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastore- gonian.com or 541-966-0833. Girl Scouts will be out in force from now through March 12 sell- ing the organization’s famous cookies. The descriptions of each are based on informa- tion from Girl Scouts. Do-si-dos: Crunchy oatmeal sandwich cookies with creamy peanut butter fi lling. Samoas: Crisp cookies coated in caramel, sprinkled with toasted coconut and striped with dark chocolaty coating. Savannah Smiles: Zesty lemon wedges with a dusting of pow- dered sugar. Tagalongs: Crispy cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a choco- laty coating. Thin Mints: Crisp peppermint wafers covered in chocolaty coating. Toffee-tastic: Rich, buttery cookies with sweet, crunchy golden toffee bits. (Girl Scouts is offering a gluten-free variety in select markets for as long as supplies last.) Trefoils: Simple but yummy short- bread cookies. And new, this year, Girl Scout S’mores: Based on the classic camping treat, these crunchy graham sandwich cookies have a creamy chocolate and marshmallowy fi lling.
