In-person sales of girl scout cookies are back in Montana and Wyoming and will run through June 30, according to organizers.
The sale normally runs from March through April, but halted in mid-March due to COVID-19.
Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming Director of Marketing and Communications Kristi Osterlund said local troops still wanted to meet their original fund-raising goals, which led to the extension.
Due to the closure of many traditional selling locations, Osterlund said the scouts had to get creative.
"Some are just setting up on their corner of the block. Some are working with independent companies and offices around the state, and some are even holding drive-through cookie booths," Osterlund said.
The scouts also had to take new precautions to increase safety, including reducing the number of girls at each booth and, in a cookie-sales first, accepting credit cards for completely contactless payment.
Osterlund said money raised by the program is kept by the Montana and Wyoming council, with much of it going back to local troops.
Up to one third of funds return to the community, where troops buy and donate everything from food and toys for shelter dogs to oxygen masks for dogs working with the fire department. The sales also help finance camping trips and other outdoor adventures for the scouts.
Part of the scouts' "financial literacy program," the sales provide experience in a variety of subjects, from money management and ethics to decision making and people skills, Osterlund said.
Cookies are $4 per box and $5 per specialty box, which Osterlund says are among the lowest prices in the country.
