12-02-2025
Where do Girl Scout Cookie funds really go? Earnings support projects, trips, and goals
It's the most delicious time of the year – Girl Scout Cookie Season.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program launched in January across the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida Council, including Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto, and Charlotte counties, and ends on March 9. Girl Scout Cookie fans can still order in person or online by entering their zip code into the Cookie Finder at and support local Girl Scouts.
When community members buy a box of Girl Scout Cookies, every penny stays local. Profits are divided between individual Girl Scouts and their council. The girls use their earnings to fund projects, trips, and personal goals, while the council reinvests in programming that creates camp adventures and dynamic activities for girls all year long.
Troop 610 recently turned their profits from the fall "Mags and Munchies" program, the sister program to the Girl Scout Cookie Program, into a community project – creating 50 Birthday Cake Kits, each filled with the ingredients to bake a cake, balloons, candles, and a disposable pan, and a hand-colored birthday card. The kits were donated to schools, ensuring that every child, regardless of financial situation, could celebrate their birthday.
'They really enjoyed doing this, and I'm glad we were able to donate to their schools so it could hit closer to home for them,' said Lisa Haney, Troop 610's leader.
Last year, a group of local Girl Scouts turned years of cookie sales into a Girl Scouts Destinations trip to London and Paris. The European adventure exemplifies the life-changing opportunities cookie funds can provide, empowering girls to explore the world and gain independence.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program also is the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world. By participating, girls gain five essential skills: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.
'Our Girl Scouts learn so much through the Cookie Program. It's not just about selling cookies; it's about building confidence, learning life skills, and giving back to the community,' said Mary Anne Servian, CEO of Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida. 'When you buy Girl Scout Cookies, you're supporting these incredible experiences and helping develop the leaders of tomorrow.'
Girl Scouts across the Gulf Coast are still taking orders for the 2025 Girl Scout Cookie season. To find Cookies, visit Text 59618 to stay up to date on the latest Cookie news.
For more information about Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida or how to join or support a troop, visit
Submitted by Jessica Miano
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Did you buy Girl Scout Cookies? Here's where the money really goes
