What’s your favorite Girl Scout Cookie? Is it Thin Mint—The most popular flavor in the U.S., or do you like the traditional shortbread, Trefoils, or maybe the coconutty Samoas? Whichever flavor you crave, now is the time to be on the lookout. Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta are holding cookie booths across the region, but only for a short time. Visit ShowMeTheCookies.com to find a booth in your area, to order for shipping, or to donate to our military partner program, Smiles4Military.
The power of your purchase
When you buy a box of Girl Scout Cookies, you’re not just indulging in a sweet treat. You’re saying you support the unique needs of girls. From rising feelings of loneliness to social media pressures and bullying, girls are struggling with their mental and physical wellness. At Girl Scouts, girls can be themselves in a supportive environment, try new activities, and make friends while boosting their confidence and leadership skills.
Every penny of profit from a cookie purchase stays local. This means that when you buy cookies from a Fulton County troop, that troop keeps a portion of the sale. In fact, last year, Atlanta-area girls earned nearly $3 million.
Troops choose how to use their earnings. Some stock food pantries or build Little Free Libraries. Others head outdoors for camping, horseback riding, or rock climbing. Many save for bigger adventures, traveling across the state, or even the world.
Proceeds also support the council’s two camp properties, provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships, and support signature events such as the annual STEM Expo, opening doors to science and technology exploration. Funds also help train and screen thousands of adult volunteers who guide Girl Scouts from kindergarten through high school.
Girl Scouts cookies humble beginning
For nearly 110 years, Girl Scout Cookies have been a beloved national tradition, with roots that stretch back to 1917. In those early days, Girl Scouts were determined to grow the program but faced a practical hurdle: funding. Women could not open their own bank accounts or access credit, and most did not have paying jobs. Even founder Juliette Gordon Low, born into a wealthy Georgia family, needed to sell her own jewelry to help sustain the movement.
To raise money, troops relied on ingenuity and kitchen skills. Mothers and daughters baked simple shortbread cookies at home, wrapped them in waxed paper and sold them door to door.
Today, the scale looks very different, but the purpose remains the same. Homemade cookies have given way to professionally produced favorites, and in metro Atlanta alone, customers buy more than 3 million boxes each year. Classics such as Thin Mints, Samoas, and Trefoils are baked by licensed commercial partners, packaged, and shipped either directly to customers or to local warehouses.
From there, Girl Scouts deliver to friends and neighbors or host cookie booths outside retail partners across the region. All profits stay local, with each box still fueling troop activities, community projects, and leadership development.
Atlanta’s connection to the newest flavor, Exploremores
This year, Girl Scouts are introducing a new flavor to the lineup, Exploremores, a rocky road-inspired chocolate sandwich cookie with a chocolate, marshmallow, and toasted almond-flavored crème filling. Three Atlanta Girl Scouts are in the national spotlight, as featured Exploremores cover girls right on the front of the box. Girl Scout Cookie boxes began featuring girls on the covers in the 1970’s. Of the millions of Girl Scout alumnae, very few have been chosen to represent the movement on the iconic cookie boxes.
