"It's for a good cause" my coworkers say. "Oh, come on - live a little, it's a tradition" they tell me.

It seems I cannot enter or exit a grocery or convenience store without encountering some cute kid with hopeful eyes that seem to say "Buy the cookies for me - please?!"

Oh bother.

Now, why does it have to be cookies they're selling?

I did my fair share of fund raisers as a kid. I sold these horrible candle things that my mother faithfully hung on the wall and burned at my request. I sold Tom Watt junk. The FFA (Future Farmers of America) sold fruit boxes. I got people to donate money and sponsor me as I jumped rope for heart. All kinds of options out there.

Why cookies for this nation's little girls?

I heard on the radio this morning that obesity-related illnesses have now surpassed cigarettes in the death tolls. And here are our little ones are getting all kinds of feedback from the general public at large about how GREAT boxes of transfatty acids are, as their sheets fill up with people buying a dozen boxes or more. I know I personally bought 2 dozen boxes last year (pre-low-carb) by the time I "supported" all the kids in the neighborhood. And I was delighted every time each one stopped by, exclaimed about my favorites, and asked them to hurry back with my precious commodity. What kind of message is this sending to these cute little girls, a large percentage of which is growing up overweight in today's society?

Does anyone else out there think this is an outdated (and dangerous) notion?

Why can't we simply sponsor these girls to do something good . . . visit a nursing home, run a mile, train a dog, plant a flower bed in the community. Why cookies??

Why not? We live in a sugar addicted society.



Probably because everyone wants to know what's in it for them. Receiving a box of cookies provides that instantly. Very few people have far reaching vision or community spirit.

Sad, but true...


Karen

It's a catch-22, isn't it? Because buying these cookies does, in essence, sponsor these girls in doing good things for themselves and their communities. I haven't bought Girl Scout cookies in several years (but I sold thousands of boxes of them as a kid), but I do write a check to my local Girl Scout council every year because I do want to support the good things that I believe they do for the girls, and through those girls, for the community.

Girl Guides in Canada also sell these - but luckily, not as many kinds as in the States. I used to buy them for my brother who LOVES them (can you say 'carb addict" ?) But I can't bring myself to do it anymore because he has relatively high cholesterol. And I might just as well hand him rat poison. Maybe I'll buy him a nice steak!

As a mother of a girl scout... I will be buying lots of boxes of the dang things. Luckily - DH still likes his sugar... so I will buy only what he likes... and put them in the freezer. DD has cut out sugar - so she won't be enjoying those - and yet she is required to sell a certain amount of them to fund their activities.

Kind of rubs against the grain to purchase them... but I do understand that she needs to sell them. I guess there is an upside to the fact that my DH has not gone real LOW CARB yet (he insists he still NEEDS some sugar - LOL!).

dex has the right idea

I get requests to attend a lot of fundraisers that involve food, or asked to buy food items as a fund raiser for schools or charities. Its not just the girl scouts, its popcorn from the boy scouts, soft pretzels and christmas candies from the schools, and pancake breakfasts by Rotarians.

Instead I just write a check. If I can't just give the cash I don't do anything. I really believe in supporting youth programs and I don't want anything in return, especially carbs. The surprising thing is how often I get told, that it is easier if I just buy something than trying to give money outright. Go figure.

slowday

I don't really run into girlscout cookie sellers. If I see them at the store, I avoid eye contact, act like I didn't see them, and walk really fast.

It's not just girlscouts though...... My little brother is always bringing home those Hershey fund raiser boxes I don't eat them, but my mom will and sell them just because she dosen't want him to look like a loser who couldn't sell any.. Kids will actually make fun of eachother if they didn't sell any. Nice huh? Why can't they find another way to make money besides selling cookies and candy....ugh. And besides, you can go to the drugstore and get like 3bars for $1.. They charge $1 a bar..lol

We've been guilty of selling the boy scout equivalent to cookies. However, we also accept straight donations, with no questions or qualms. With the check made out to the Pack or Troop number, people are sure the money is going to the activity.

Our elementary school and junior high school have started selling gift wrapping paper and magazines instead of food (thank goodness).

I had to sell frozen pizzas one year for a choir trip!

As a former Girl Scout Leader - donations without a purchase are greatfully accepted. The money raised from the cookie sale really does bring a huge income into that troop and funds most of the activities of the year.

I have bought 4 of the boxes this year from my neices. that goodness my DH and children are quick eaters. I had to do my part and buy my share. (BTW - I didn't eat any)

AS a girl scout leader and mom of three scouts, I can tell you for the next two months cookies will be my life! I just began Atkins and think I can resist the cookie but I will have cases of them in my home until March 16th! We just began selling a couple weeks ago and I will be hosting four or five booths so I will be cookied out, LOL

Pray that I can resist temptation! I don't know about other areas but we have tried selling other things and raising money other ways and it just flopped. The annual cookie sales make up at least 75% of our operating costs. Probably becasue it is just a once a year thing, People can say it wont hurt more readily than things they can buy every day at Wal mart.

Anyway, I understand your thread and your point. Just saying please send me resistance vibes for the next few weeks, LOL

Geez, don't the Scouts get enough grief.

I do an Atkins WOE and love it but certainly don't expect the rest of the world to do it just like I don't expect them to shove their way of eating my way.

Their cookies are delicious and if I wasn't a carb addict I'd buy a mess of them myself.

I agree with you about the cookie thing. In a country where obesity is out of control, it would seem like a good idea to place the focus of fundraising on a more healthy product. But then again, plenty of people probably can eat the cookies without getting fat. Still, it would be a great idea if they could offer some healthy options as well.

I remember when this came around last year and I had just embarked on my LC journey. It was stressful. GSCookie time was a ritual with me. The previous year, I ate a ridiculous number of boxes. But I recall that they didn't taste very good and certainly nothing like the ones I remember enjoying as a kid.

Now the temptation doesn't even register. They are no longer on my radar.

Donald

Heh heh... former brownie here. Sold a zillion cookies or so.

...but I remember a school fundraiser where we sold cases of oranges. Not LC, but better than junk food. We also sold spices one time.

I am so happy that sweets are not my downfall. I was a girl scout leader for 7 years and my daughter sold those cookies for 6 of those years. At the end of her Jr. year in scouting she wanted to quit so we both retired from scouting and I thought yes yes yes no more cookies...LOL Guess what? All those nice people that we sold cookies to now hit me up ( nieces, cousins, grandkids) so I buy a few boxes and store them in my freezer. DH eats them and when my teenage daughter has her friends over then poof...they are gone. Just like magic..LOL. I really dont feel too bad about them eating the cookies, they all work it off at basketball practice.

I just got an image of those cute little girls being carb pushers!

"psst,...wanta buy some cookies?..... they're really sweet .......you know you want them"

Now I'll have to suppress the giggles every time they knock on my door. My boys and husband are in Boy scouts and we sell apples to raise money. But, there will always be cookies! Lots and lots of cookies!