Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland kick off the 2021 Girl Scout Cookie season on Friday, February 12th, during a challenging time when many Girl Scouts are selling in creative, socially distant, and contact-free ways to keep themselves and their customers safe.

According to the organization, even in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, girls are adapting their sales methods to share the joy of Girl Scout Cookies through the largest girl-led entrepreneurship program—including taking contact-free pickup and delivery orders through a new national collaboration with Grubhub. Additionally, GSUSA is making online cookie ordering available nationwide so consumers who don’t know a Girl Scout can still purchase cookies from a local troop for direct shipment to their homes or donation to local organizations.

Innovative Girl-led Sales Methods

The Girl Scout Cookie Program has long taught girls how to run a business via in-person booths, door-to-door activity, and the Digital Cookie® platform online, which GSUSA launched in 2014. 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 across Kansas quickly pivoted their sales methods. From setting up drive-through locations to facilitating orders that ship directly to customers doors, girls as young as five years old are continuing to embrace their entrepreneurial spirits, stay connected to their communities, earn badges, and have fun by participating in the cookie program. And, the proceeds from each and every purchase stay local with the troop and its council to power Girl Scouts’ essential leadership programming.

Ordering Now Available Through Delivery Platform Grubhub

This season, Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland is participating in a national collaboration with food ordering and delivery platform Grubhub so girls have an additional way to facilitate contact-free cookie orders. In Wichita, consumers can order Girl Scout Cookies for pickup or delivery on Grubhub.com or the Grubhub app. A hands-on experience in managing e-commerce, local Girl Scouts will track and fulfill orders, manage inventory, and more, all using Grubhub’s back-end technology. This method will be available in Wichita on Fridays 4 – 10 p.m., Saturdays noon – 10 p.m., and Sundays noon – 6 p.m. As always, the proceeds benefit the troop and council while providing another innovative way to safely run the cookie program virtually. GSUSA is grateful to Grubhub for waiving all fees for the organization to make this new delivery option feasible for sales without reducing troops’ and councils’ proceeds.

Online Ordering Available Nationwide

GSUSA is making it possible for all consumers nationwide who don’t already know a Girl Scout to purchase Girl Scout Cookies online for shipment to their door. Beginning February 1, customers can enter their zip code into the Girl Scout Cookie Finder to find a local troop to purchase from through the Digital Cookie platform for direct shipment or donation to local organizations. This additional contact-free method supports local girls while keeping their safety and skill building top of mind.

This year, Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland will offer the new Toast-Yay!™ cookie, a French toast–inspired cookie dipped in delicious icing and full of flavor in every bite. Toast-Yay! gives consumers a new way to celebrate moments of joy alongside other favorites, like Thin Mints® and Caramel deLites®. And though social distancing measures may keep families and friends apart, cookie customers can share joy and stay connected this season through a gift-box option that ships directly to others via the Digital Cookie platform.

Share Something Sweet with Kansans

It’s back with a new name, the Cookie Share Program is now the Care & Share Program . Since the program began in 2010, customers have donated more than 185,000 packages of cookies to members of the military and local charities. In 2020 alone, more than 10,000 packages were distributed to members of the Kansas community. Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland gives cookie customers the option of sharing the sweet treats with service men and women, their families, and local charities like the Kansas Food Bank. Customers can simply purchase a package of cookies to donate and Girl Scouts handle the rest.

How to Safely Purchase Girl Scout Cookies This Season

Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland’s Cookie season is February 12 through March 28. Consumers can support Girl Scouts by purchasing Thin Mints®, Caramel deLites®, Peanut Butter Patties®, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Shortbreads, Lemonades®, Girl Scout S’mores®, and the gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip varieties priced at $5 per package. Celebrating its final Girl Scout Cookie season, be sure to stock up on the S’mores®  variety before it’s gone forever! Kansans can also support the Girl Scout Cookie season in a few other ways:

• If you know a registered Girl Scout, reach out to her to find out how she’s selling cookies in ways that meet local and state safety protocols.
• Visit www.grubhub.com/food/girl_scouts to order via contact-free delivery from Grubhub in Wichita on Fridays 4 – 10 p.m., Saturdays noon – 10 p.m., and Sundays noon – 6 p.m.
• Beginning February 1, enter your zip code into the Girl Scout Cookie Finder at www.girlscoutcookies.org to purchase from a local Girl Scout troop online for shipment to your door or to donate cookies to first responders and local causes.