Girl Scouts in Maine stood out among state troops in their virtual cookie sales amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The scouts sold 804,096 boxes of cookies for a total of $4.03 million during their socially distanced 2021 season that ran from Feb. 1 to April 30, they said Monday.
The scouts’ “careful planning, inventory management [and] innovative opportunities to help girls and troops succeed” were responsible for their success, said Laura Genese, the marketing and communications director for Girl Scouts Maine.
DRONES TO DELIVER GIRL SCOUT COOKIES TO VIRGINIANS
In 2019 and 2020, the Girl Scouts sold more than 1.1 million boxes for total sales of almost $4.5 million each year. Although 2021’s totals were lower, the Maine scouts are far ahead of their peers across the country, who are experiencing a surplus of 15 million unsold boxes.
The Maine scouts have fewer than 1,000 unsold boxes, all of which are set to be donated to local charities.
For 2021, restrictions allowed two scouts and two adults, all masked, at each cookie station, with adults being the only ones to handle the cash.
Other troops in Maine created drive-thru stations with one booth to place orders, another to pay, and the last to get the cookies.
In the southern area of Lewiston, community members helped by ordering boxes directly from Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakers, the companies that produce the cookies for the scouts.
In 2020, the companies shipped 1,308 boxes directly to residents in the area. In 2021, they sent 4,800, said Pat Provost, the program supervisor for the area.
Seventy-seven percent of the cookie sales go directly to scout-related activities, with the remaining 23% covering the cost of the cookies themselves.
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With cookie expenses taken into account, Maine has seen a profit of over $3.1 million going to the Girl Scouts in 2021.
