Girl Guide cookies are back and they're more than just a sweet Canadian tradition

Remember the thrill of Girl Guide cookie season arriving?

Maybe you were the Girl Guide heading door to door with your friends on a weekend. Maybe you were the kid at school begging your mom for some spare change to secure a box of the iconic Chocolatey Mint cookies from a friend. Or, maybe you were firmly on one side of the great chocolate vs. vanilla debate and have never really let it go.

However you remember it, these classic Canadian cookies likely have a special place in your heart. Which means you’ll be pleased to know that Girl Guide cookie season is underway, with the iconic Chocolatey Mint cookies available in communities across Canada.

These nostalgic treats are officially back and the story behind each box is about a whole lot more than cookies.

The sweet tradition behind the cookie fundraising

Girl Guides

For anyone who knows the cookies, but not the empowering mission behind them, here’s what you need to know: Girl Guides is a Canadian organization working to be a catalyst for empowering girls and these boxes of cookies are its official fundraiser.

Every fall, local groups get together to fundraise with those delicious boxes in hand, going door to door and setting up in front of local businesses in their community. Along the way, girls get hands-on experience with goal setting, financial literacy, teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making.

The well-known tradition goes all the way back to 1927, when a Girl Guide leader in Regina, Saskatchewan, started baking cookies to help her local group raise funds for new uniforms and camping equipment.

Where your support goes

Girl Guides

Nearly a century later, cookie fundraising is still a fun, meaningful way for girls to learn, lead, connect, and achieve together.

All money raised by the boxes of cookies that you buy goes right back to the Sparks, Embers, Guides, Pathfinders, and Rangers you buy them from, to help support leadership development, activities, camps, travel, and the other outdoor adventures that await them.

More than just a box of cookies

If cookie season has you wanting more than a snack, there are a few ways to get involved and support the Girl Guides in your community.

Firstly, if you’ve got a child age five to 17 who’d love the friendship and adventure, you can register your girl to join in on all the fun.

If you’d rather lend a hand yourself, you can become a volunteer with a local unit and help girls in your community gain confidence, financial literacy, and other real-world skills.

And if you’re not able to grab a box, you can still support girls in Guiding with a donation that helps turn their dreams into real experiences.

How to get your hands on a box

Girl Guides

Thanks to the Girl Guides’ Cookie Finder, your favourite flavour is easier to find than ever. Whether you’re team chocolate, team vanilla, or a die-hard Chocolatey Mint fan, you can track down cookies near you in mere seconds.

Just enter your location and cookie preferences and you’ll see where and when cookies are being sold near you.

At the end of the day, the power of a Girl Guide cookie isn’t what’s inside the box. It’s what every box makes possible. That’s a pretty sweet impact!