Girl Scout Cookie Season Has Begun, and You Can Buy the Cookies Online

Thin Mints, anyone?

Girl Scouts Sell Cookies From Street Trucks In New York City
John Moore/Getty Images

It's Girl Scout Cookie time!

Thin Mints, Tagalogs and other scrumptious Girl Scout Cookie varieties are now for sale in many parts of the country as the 2021 Girl Scout Cookie season kicks off. Start dates vary by location, but many Girl Scouts of USA councils launched their annual cookie sales on Jan. 8, with others beginning later this month.

In-person cookie sales have become more difficult during the pandemic, so Girl Scouts councils around the country have been embracing online alternatives, including the Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania chapter.

"When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the middle of the 2020 season and girls were faced with the same challenges as other small businesses, girls in western Pennsylvania quickly pivoted their sales methods," the chapter said in a recent release.

"From running virtual cookie booths on social media to collecting donated cookies for local medical professionals, nursing home staff, and many other essential workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, girls as young as five years old are continuing to embrace their entrepreneurial spirits and stay connected to their communities by participating in the cookie program," the chapter added.

In Girl Scouts councils around the country, many girls are selling cookies through personalized Digital Cookie sites, which allow girls to personalize their marketing strategies, as well as share their progress and plans for their earnings. Online orders can be shipped or delivered in person by Girl Scouts.

There are still physical cookie booths available in some locations nationwide, depending on local COVID-19 regulations. You can find a cookie booth in your area using the Girl Scouts' zip code search tool.

Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. during peak Girl Scout Cookie season, forcing the organization to suspend all its in-person activities and events to comply with public safety guidelines. But GSUSA soon made its beloved cookies available for sale on the organization's website.

“For 108 years, Girl Scouts has been there in times of crisis and turmoil,” Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Sylvia Acevedo said in a statement at the time. "And today we are stepping forward with new initiatives to help girls, their families, and consumers connect, explore, find comfort, and take action.”

GSUSA also launched a campaign called the Girl Scouts Cookie Care program, which allows customers to order the cookies — which cost $5 per box — to be delivered right to their homes. Start by visiting the organization's website and entering your zip code to see a list of nearby options.

Don't want the cookies for yourself? You can also buy them to donate to first responders, volunteers and other community heroes.

The organization called its popular Girl Scout Cookie Program the "financial lifeblood" that helps Girl Scout councils deliver life-changing programming to 1.7 million girls.

Acevedo said, “By buying and donating cookies, Girl Scout Cookie fans are helping sustain our life-changing programs for girls — and bringing joy and comfort to those on the frontlines of this crisis."

EDITOR'S NOTE (Jan. 8, 2021, 12:41 p.m. EST)This article has been updated with information about the 2021 Girl Scout Cookie season.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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