Girl Guide Chocolate Mint Cookies have been delivered to Spark, Brownie, Guide and Pathfinder units in Kingsville this week. Local girls and leaders are eager to begin selling them to the Kingsville Community, but it will be a bit different this year.
Because of COVID-19, strict safety protocols have been established around the sale of these seasonal yummy treats. Girls will not be allowed to sell door-to-door, or on a street corner, or store front. Contact must be made with a Guider or the family of a girl member to arrange a contactless delivery of the cookies.
Phone numbers and email addresses for purchases can be found at the end of the article.
You may have seen these cookies for sale at your local grocery stores for the same price of $5 per box. The cookies in the stores support Girl Guides of Canada, but cookies sold by Kingsville girls will directly support their local units.
The first Girl Guide unit was established in Kingsville in 1916, and Guiding has had a continuous presence in the community for more than 100 years. At the time, during the Great War, young women and girls had a desire to help the war effort, and their community in any way possible. They knitted socks, rolled bandages, mailed packages, and raised money, while they learned leadership and life skills.
In 1927, a Girl Guide leader in Regina, Saskatchewan baked and boxed up cookies for her girls to sell as a way of raising money for uniforms and camping equipment. Little did she know that she was starting one of Canada’s greatest traditions — Girl Guide Cookies!
In 1929, Girl Guide Cookies began to be sold all over the country. The classic chocolate and vanilla sandwich cookies were introduced in 1953, and the chocolaty mint cookie made its debut in 1995.
Over the past 104 years, many hundreds of girls in Kingsville have been members of local units. They have enjoyed the fun and friendship that comes with sharing the many camping, hiking, community service, travel and leadership opportunities offered by the Girl Guide program.
This fall, units have had additional challenges of having to follow COVID-19 safety rules. Meetings must all be outdoors or online. Masking and sanitizing are just routine protocol.
The good news is that the girls are still having fun, learning new skills, and helping in the community. With the support of the people of Kingsville they will continue these traditions for another 100 years.
To purchase Girl Guide Cookies you can:
Call Betsey at (519) 733-3767
or
email betsabara@hotmail.com
Call Kim V. at (519) 733-6018
or
email kverbridge@wavedirect.net
Call Kim H. at (519) 999-9073
or
email anangelswings@gmail.com
Photos provided by Betsey Sabara