I like seeing smiles on people's faces," said Natalie Francis, when explaining why she enjoys selling Girl Scout Cookies to the community. She noted that her favorite is Caramel Chocolate Chip.

Natalie and fellow Girl Scouts Juniper Boerlin and Oakley Bamford, members of Brownie Troop 1654 from Robeson Elementary Center, were busy on a recent Saturday at the cookie booth located inside Lowe's Home Improvement in the Morgantown Crossings shopping center. The booth was open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with Scouts from different troops working in two-hour shifts.

The Scouts were accompanied by troop leader Loni Francis and parent volunteer Macall Bamford, 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.

Both Oakley and Juniper said that their favorite cookie was the Peanut Butter Patty, noting that the Caramel Chocolate Chip variety is priced slightly higher than the others because it is gluten-free.

Macall suggested buying one of each variety and hosting a cookie tasting party, while Loni added that cookies can also be put into the freezer and enjoyed as a frozen treat later. "The ones with chocolate freeze the best," she noted.

Those who visit the booths also have an opportunity to donate cookies to Hometown Heroes, a program adopted in 2019 by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania (GSEP). "We take donations, and all the troops in the Twin Valley Service Unit will put their money together to help Helping Harvest and Hope Rescue's homeless shelter," Loni explained. "We also send cookies to the military overseas."

The goal of the cookie sales, according to GSEP, is to teach skills such as goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics. "(The Scouts) learn financial literacy, as well as interacting with the community, customer service and serving with a servant heart," said Loni. "There are people who don't want cookies, so we (teach the girls to say), 'Thank you' and 'Have a nice day.'"

The Scouts are also able to keep a portion of the money for troop activities. "We are going to Reading Rocks to (earn) our climbing badge and (will visit) the Reading Museum," Loni said.

In addition to troop activities, the Scouts take part in community service projects. They send cards to military members serving overseas at Christmas and sang Christmas carols in December 2023 at the Heritage of Green Hills retirement community.

Members of the Twin Valley Service Unit will sell cookies through the end of March. In addition to Lowe's, 340 Crossings Blvd., Elverson, cookies are available in the same shopping center at Walmart, 100 Crossings Blvd., Elverson. Girls in the Daniel Boone Service Unit sell cookies on weekends at Boyer's Food Market, 200 W. First St., Birdsboro.

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