Girl Scout cookies arrive by the thousands
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on February 15, 2004 2:01 AM
Girl Scout moms loaded some of the 100,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies from the dock of Security Storage on U.S. 117.
They were picking up the orders for their troops in Wayne and Greene counties. Not many Girl Scouts were working out in the rain. It was mostly "cookie moms" and "cookie dads" piling boxes from the loading dock into the backs of their cars. Most of the girls were waiting in the cars.
They will be busy enough later on, counting and delivering, said Tracey Burns-Beirise of Brownie Troop 91 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
She has "grand Brownies," she said. "I had girls in the Girl Scouts, and they grew up and had children. I've spent 21 years as a Girl Scout leader. I just called my mother. She had three girls and was a Girl Scout leader. I said, 'This is all your fault. Here I am on a Saturday. It's raining, and I'm picking up in the rain -- again.'"
Michele Derwitz of Troop 765 and Sharon Nethercutt of Troop 336 said they're used to loading cookies in the rain. They said the moms at the loading dock Saturday were from the 75 troops in Wayne and Greene counties. Cookie moms from other units of the Coastal Carolina Council had loaded up earlier in the week.
"There's a lot of troops and a lot of cookies," said Mrs. Derwitz, whose troop members attend Northeast, Tommy's Road and Northwest schools. Mrs. Nethercutt, an assistant troop leader, has girls who attend Northwest Elementary, Norwayne Middle and Princeton schools. Both are "cookie moms."
Lillie Thompson, the service unit director for Wayne and Greene counties, didn't seem to notice the rain. When someone mentioned it raining on pick-up day, she said, "The guys say it rained last year, too."
Pam Yarger, a leader for Troop 765 and assistant leader for Troop 91, isn't a "cookie mom" any more, although she has two daughters. The family has a puppy now, and if she were a cookie mom again this year, "he would eat them all."
Karen Midthun loaded up 87 boxes that Sharing for Caring will donate. "Most of the cookies will go to the troops overseas," she said. "Some may go to a nursing home."
Kesha Bazemore of Seven Springs and Stephanie Burridge of LaGrange had volunteered to come in on a Saturday and work on the loading dock, stacking cases of cookies onto a dolly. "We're not Girl Scouts," they said. "We just came to help them get the order out."
A couple of 10-year old Girl Scouts walked from their car to the dock to see what was going on. Karly Derwitz and Lauren Larison of Troop 765 said Miss Larison has taken orders for 587 boxes of cookies already. Their moms are Michele Durwitz and Laurie Dillard.
Mrs. Larison had been asked, "Are you going to pick up cookies on Valentines Day?" She had answered, "When would be a better time?"
Girl Scouts will be selling the cookies at booths from Feb. 21 until Feb. 28 at places like Winn-Dixie, Lowe's, Berkeley Mall, Wal-Mart and Staples. On Saturday, Feb. 21, they will have some cookies at Lowe's and Winn-Dixie between 10 a.m. and noon.
Today, Sunday, a couple troops of girls have a booth set up at Staples from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m.