Girl Scouts begin 2014 cookie campaign Jan. 11

Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay will go door to door to begin taking orders for Girl Scout cookies Saturday, Jan. 11. This year, local Girl Scouts will offer six cookie varieties - Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Trefoils, Do-si-dos and Savannah Smiles. All Girl Scout cookies are $4 per box.

Cookie booth sales begin Friday, Feb. 14, at local businesses throughout the Delmarva Peninsula. Girls also take donations of Girl Scout cookies for Operation Taste of Home and local community groups. Operation Taste of Home cookies are donated to U.S. armed forces and local agencies such as food banks and pantries, blood banks, cancer centers and youth programs.

Individuals interested in purchasing cookies or donating to Operation Taste of Home can call the Cookie Hotline at 1-800-YUM-YUM2. To locate a cookie booth sale, go to www.GSCB.org.

The Girl Scouts Cookie Program is about more than just great-tasting cookies. By participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, girls learn five skills that last into adulthood: goal setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics. Every girl is encouraged to set and work toward achieving both team and personal goals. The program also raises funds to support troop and council activities.

All of the proceeds from a local council's cookie activities remain in the area where the cookies are sold. Each year, more than 9,000 Girl Scouts from the Delmarva Peninsula participate in the cookie program, selling more than 1 million boxes of cookies to the community.

To learn more about Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay, visit www.GSCB.org or call 1-800-341-4007 or 1-800-374-9811.