It has been reported there has been a Quality Hold on some Lemon Chalet Crème Cookies produced by Little Brownie Bakers. Little Brownie Bakers has confirmed that Sahuaro Girl Scout Council did NOT receive any of these batches.

According to Little Brownie Bakers, certain lots of Lemon Chalet Crème cookies contain oils that may be breaking down which can result in an off taste and smell. Little Brownie Bakers determined that while the cookies are safe for consumers to eat, they are not up to their quality standards.

While Sahuaro Girl Scout has NOT been affected by the quality hold, Little Brownie Bakers want consumers to know that a quality hold is very different than a recall. A “quality hold” means the product may not meet quality standards set and it is separated from the rest of the inventory until additional testing can be done to determine if it’s impacted directly. Whereas, a “recall” means there is a health or safety issue; there is no health or human safety issue in this quality hold.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Kristen Hernandez at 520-820-4966 or at khernandez@sahuarogsc.org . Little Brownie Bakers can be reached at 1-800-962-1718 or contact us at http://www.littlebrowniebakers.com.

You can still order Girl Scout cookies for our Military troops! Order a case and they will be shipped to overseas troops. This is a great way to show support of our troops and support your local Girl Scouts!

Gina Roberts-Grey AOL

Feb 6th 2010 at 9:00AM

It’s hard to say no to a pint-sized cookie peddler, sweetly asking: “Would you like to buy a box of Girl Scout cookies?” But in an age where you’re watching every penny, it can be equally hard to cough up between $3.50 and $4 for a box of 15 cookies — even if those Samoas are perhaps the best thing that will ever cross your lips.

Despite their undeniable tastiness, there’s no denying that, at $3.50 to $4 per box, Girl Scout cookies can be costly. But it might soften the blow to know where your cookie money really goes.Donna Ceravolo, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County, New York, says a majority of the sales price of each box stays in the community. Using the Nassau County price of $3.50 per box as our example, here’s a breakdown of how she says the money is spent.

For each box sold, 85 cents per box goes to the baker to cover production, packaging, shipping of the cookies to the troop, and other incidental costs. Out of the remaining $2.65, 50 to 57 cents goes to the selling troop, which will use the funds to cover the cost of programming, community service projects and scholarships, and to offset the cost of participating in Girl Scouts.

Of course, then there are the prizes that some troops dole out to their top-selling scouts. Prizes can cost anywhere from 5 to 7 cents per box, says Ceravolo. So if a troop opts to award prizes, they’ll get about 50 to 52 cents per box. “But if a troop votes to eliminate prizes, they get about 57 cents per box,” she says.

Of the remaining funds, about 1 penny per box goes to the neighborhood “service unit” — another level of scouting — and stays within the community. The rest goes to the regional council, which is usually comprised of numerous troops that are located near each other, Ceravolo explains. The regional council of Nassau County, for instance, focuses solely on the troops in Nassau County, New York. “The remaining $2.14 to $2.07 is used to fund local programming, support summer camps, train adult volunteers, and so on,” says Ceravolo.

Contrary to urban legends, the proceeds from Girl Scout cookie sales are not funneled to the national scouting organization. “Girl Scouts of the USA has a deal in place in which they receive royalties directly from the two national bakers of the cookies,” Ceravolo says. “The regional councils do not send cookie money to the national organization.”

The scoop on troops
Ceravolo says troops are allowed to individually decide how they want to allocate the money they receive from the sale of the cookies. “Most use it to fund community service and action projects,” she says. “The girls decide what they want to do, then set cookie sales goals in order to pay for those projects.”

But perhaps the biggest payoff from the annual cookie program isn’t the money that changes hands, but what the girls learn about finances. “The cookie program is one of the most effective financial literacy programs in the country,” Ceravolo says.

“I learned how to balance a checkbook, set budget goals, pay bills and even practice fiscal restraint as a Girl Scout,” says Juanita Vasquez, 27, of Chicago. “I didn’t have the opportunity to learn those lessons at home, so I’m grateful I was able to learn them as a scout.”

Ceravolo says education is one of the cookie program’s main objectives. “All the girls who participate learn goal setting and decision-making skills while they’re learning about giving to their community,” she says.

One might argue the girls also learn just how much power a box of cookies can wield in neighborhoods all across the U.S.

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/02/06/girl-scout-cookies-by-the-numbers-just-where-do-all-those-dolla/?icid=main|main|dl3|link1|http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/02/06/girl-scout-cookies-by-the-numbers-just-where-do-all-those-dolla/

Girl Scout cookies available sooner and quicker

Posted – 12/22/2009 at 10:59AM

TUCSON- Cookie lovers can not only order their Girl Scout treats early, but also “on demand.”

Sahuaro Girl Scout Council says it’s one of the biggest changes since the first cookies were sold in 1917.

This starts January 9.

Girl Scouts will still come to your home, but they will have the boxes the same day. They will have cookies for sale at shopping centers and other sites throughout the community, as in previous years.

“Cookies on Demand” is intended to boost sales and teach girls new business skills, says Debbie Rich, CEO of Sahuaro Girl Scout Council.

“It’s a different business strategy for us, one that was developed out of conversations with girls,” Rich says. “In any retail business you have to change your model from time to time.”

Sellling cookies not only raises funds to support Girl Scout programs, it also teaches girls to develop a business plan and business and communication skills, Rich says.

Eliminating the order-and-wait process will mean less driving back and forth. That and the recyclable boxes support the Scouts’ mission of environmental stewardship, Rich says.

“A box of Girl Scout Cookies is about so much more than the cookies,” she says.

Cookies will sell for $4 per box this year. About $3.10 of each $4 will stay with Sahuaro Girl Scouts, which serves 14,000 girls in eight counties across Southern Arizona.

Last year, Sahuaro Girl Scouts sold more than 760,000 boxes of cookies. This year, the council’s goal is 777,000 boxes, Rich says.

Again in 2010, Girl Scout Cookie customers can purchase cookies and donate them to women and men serving in the military through the Girls Scouts “Troop to Troop” program.

http://www.kvoa.com/news/girl-scout-cookies-available-sooner-and-quicker/

Cookie Program Begins January 9, 2010!

A Fresh New Sale Inspired by U!

Introducing COOKIES ON DEMAND! This year we are proud to offer you Cookies on Demand where cookies will be available to girls from the first day of the sale!

Rather than taking preorders, girls will have cookies in hand on the first day of selling. This gives customers instant gratification and an opportunity for girls to “restock” their customers’ needs throughout the time of the sale.

The Benefits of Cookies on Demand:

• Easier tracking of sales for girls, parents, and leaders!
• More recognition awards for girls at all sale levels!
• Increased troop proceeds with proven higher girl sales!
• More cupboards closer to volunteers with more hours available!
• Time saved with fewer trips to customers!
• Greening the Cookie Program therefore reducing our carbon footprint!

It’s new, it’s exciting, it’s COOKIES ON DEMAND!

There will be more information to come in the months leading up to the cookie program. Training for troop leaders will take place during the month of November. Girls and parent meeting for cookies take place in December.

The Cookie Program will begin January 9, 2010 so be sure to mark your calendars!!!