The Sylvan Lake Girl Guides are once again gearing up for an all out cookie blitz.
Normally, Girl Guides would set up in grocery stores and go door-to-door to sell cookies. This year neither of those options are available.
Jessica Potuer, a leader with First Sylvan Lake Girl Guides, says the various levels of the local group have pooled their resources to hold a drive-thru cookie sale.
“Normally each individual group sells their allotted cookies. This time we as an organization have pooled our resources for a all out cookie blitz,” said Pouter.
Pouter added the local Girl Guides are “going all out” for this cookie drive, as all previous endeavours have been cancelled due to the pandemic.
In November the local group planned a similar drive, but it was cancelled at the last minute when health restrictions shifted.
“Unless they lockdown, and we are still able to meet outside and do our thing we will continue on,” Pouter said.
The “cookie blitz” will be held in two locations over two days. Pouter says this will help follow guidelines set by both the Province and Girl Guides Canada.
This initiative starts the sale of the chocolate and vanilla cookie season for the Girl Guides, though some mint cookies are still available.
“I know there are people who only get the mint cookies, I myself love the mint ones, and we have some left,” Pouter explained.
The Guides will be set up in the parking lot of HJ Cody and Wal-Mart on April 17-18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., however Pouter says they may go longer depending on the turn out.
The cookie blitz will be done in a drive through format, and customers will not be able to leave their vehicles and approach the sellers.
“We will be masked… and the adults will be handling all the money and transactions,” said Pouter.
“The girls will be there and helping but we are trying to limit their interactions so they will be handing the cookies to the adults.”
The Girl Guides are still operating as best as they are able, to ensure the participants don’t really notice too much of a difference, according to Pouter.
She says the focus is still on teaching the girls leadership, empowerment and encouragement.
The biggest change that has come from the pandemic has been in the meeting set up. While allowed to meet in person currently, numbers have to be limited.
This means many of the groups have to be split up into multiple smaller groups, meeting one\ the same night at different times.
“It has been a difficult adjustment for sure, but it has been more difficult and tiring for the leaders. Not much has really changed for the girls,” said Pouter.
“We are still here, we are still going and we are still teaching the girls.”