It is officially Girl Scout Cookie season, meaning members of local troops are in the community offering cookies for sale at various locations.

Recently manning a cookie booth were Eleanor and Erin Thompson, members of Brownie Troop 4079, who were on hand following Sunday services at Penningtonville Presbyterian Church in Atglen, the troop's sponsoring organization.

The Scouts were accompanied by their mother, troop leader Lillian Thompson, who reported that Thin Mints were the most frequently purchased cookie that day.

Other varieties include Adventurefuls, which are brownie-like cookies with a caramel-flavored cream; Toast-Yay! cookies, which are shaped like French toast and dipped in icing; Trefoils, which are shortbread cookies; Lemonades, which are shortbread cookies with a lemon-flavored icing; and Caramel deLites, which are crispy cookies coated with caramel and coconut and drizzled with chocolate stripes. Peanut butter varieties are Peanut Butter Patties dipped in chocolate and the Peanut Butter Sandwich, which is an oatmeal cookie with a peanut butter filling.

The goal of the cookie sales, according to the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania (GSEP), is to teach skills such as goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics.

"They learn how to count, how to make change and restock their inventory," said Lillian.

"We learn that you have to find a way to be nice (when they say no). You just say, 'OK' and 'Thank you,'" Eleanor added.

Those who visit the booths also have an opportunity to donate cookies to Hometown Heroes, a program adopted in 2019 by GSEP. "We collect money for the Hometown Heroes and then distribute those cookies in our community between local veterans, fire company, police and ambulance, the food cupboard and senior center," Lillian noted.

The Scouts are also able to keep a portion of the money for troop activities. Lillian reported that the troop will use its money for camping.

In addition to troop activities, the Scouts take part in community service projects. "We have done trash pickups, made pet beds for local animal shelters and helped with food drives," Lillian said. "The girls' favorite is visiting Westminster Place in Parkesburg and spending time with (the residents). We visit three or four times a year. Our (most recent visit) was going for Valentine's Day bingo."

Scouts from the Octorara Service Unit will sell cookies on weekends through the end of March at the following locations: Tractor Supply, 985 Octorara Trail, Parkesburg; Walmart Supercenter, 100 Commons Drive, Parkesburg; Christiana Beer and Beverage Outlet, 360 Route 41, Gap; RDV Convenience Store, 214 W. First Ave., Parkesburg; Bell's Delites, 111 S. Church St., Parkesburg; Main Street Cafe Grill, 321 Main St., Parkesburg; Dickens Automotive, 1086 Gap Newport Pike, Cochranville; and Hershey's Farm Market, 959 Octorara Trail, Parkesburg.

For more information about the cookies and to search for other cookie booth locations, visit http://www.gsep.org.