HELENA — Girl Scouts from several local troops packed into St. Paul's Church in Helena on Saturday morning for a cookie rally before the start of Girl Scout cookie pre-sales on Jan. 31.

Girl Scout Adelyn Hardamon of Troop 3853 has been selling cookies for over 11 years since kindergarten and says selling cookies has helped her build relationships with community members.

“I really enjoy just getting to know everybody I sell cookies to and having fun at cookie booths,” said Hardamon.

The Girl Scouts and their leaders all agree that selling cookies helps the Girl Scouts learn life skills such as relationship building, goal setting, decision making, and money management.

The girls participated in several activities designed to prepare them for interactions with customers while selling cookies. These included taking customer orders, counting change, and answering questions about specific cookie types.

The money from the sales goes much further than you might think. Scouts use the funds for supplies, meetings, badge activities, special trips, and events.

Cookies go on pre-sale beginning this Friday, Jan. 31, with orders placed between this Friday and February 16 can be expected to arrive in March.

All cookies will be sold for $6 a box except for gluten and allergen-free cookies, which will cost $7 per box.

In-person cookie sales are scheduled to begin on March 21st.

“We ran out of Carmel Delights [last year]; we sell lots of those; the next one is probably Thin Mints,” said girl scout Harper Bagg.

Those who don't know a local Girl Scout can order cookies straight to their door beginning February twenty-first through the Girl Scout Cookie Finder.