Photo courtesy of Ross Lavigne

By Scott Roblin

Girl Guide Cookies

Girl Guides partnering with local stores to sell cookies this spring

May 12, 2020 | 5:13 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Door-to-door sales of Girl Guide cookies are a distant memory this spring with the COVID-19 pandemic limiting public interactions for the local chapter.

It’s the interruption of a yearly tradition for hundreds of Medicine Hat and area girls, but local businesses are stepping up to plate to keep the sales rolling in.

Stores such as Safeway, Gas King, Canadian Tire, London Drugs, IGA, Sobeys, Save-On-Foods, and Real Canadian Superstore have signed on to sell Girl Guide cookies on behalf of the organization.

Area commissioner Stephanie Lindstedt said the virus came at a difficult time for the Cypress Hills chapter as they were just getting their spring fundraising started.

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“The timing is pretty rough,” said Lindstedt. “But, you have summer coming up so you have a little bit of hope in that. We’re hoping to start in September, at least not ruling out face-to-face meetings.”

The Cypress Hills Area Girl Guides have been able to supply these businesses with product to sell, with other businesses receiving their cookies in the coming days.

“Some of them were direct like to Canadian Tire and Gas King, but the other ones are being distributed,” said Lindstedt. “Some of them have them on order right now and they should be there shortly.”

All local Girl Guide activities have been cancelled through September including a number of trips to the Royal Tyrell Museum, Calgary Zoo, and their annual camp in Elkwater.

“We had grand plans for going out to Elkwater to introduce some of the girls and leaders that haven’t really been out there too much to our campsite and the resources we have available,” said Lindstedt.

According to Lindstedt, their roughly 380 members have adapted well to the pandemic with weekly meetings still conducted online between units.

“Girl Guides is not about going on the computer and messaging a friend or sending an email which you can do, we have sisters all over the world,” she said. “But, the main focus for the girls is to come to the units every week, to see their friends.”

Registration for returning Girl Guides has already opened, while dates have been set for those changing branches (May 28) and new additions to the program (June 15).