Massive Girl Scout cookies delivery in Redmond

When it comes to Girl Scout Cookies, everyone has a favorite. However, while most people are clear on which cookie they’ll choose when they get to the cookie stand, they might not be aware of what goes on behind the scenes.

When we asked people around Bend where the cookies come from, one replied, “A very busy baker.” Another said, “It would be cool if they homemade them.”

Actually, a giant shipment arrives one day a year. It took three semi-trucks to drop off more than 86,000 boxes at the the Deschutes County Fairgrounds on Friday. That’s enough to stretch across 143 football fields!

Erica Zollman, product manager for Central Oregon Girl Scout cookie sales, said this day is always pretty frantic.

“It’s madness, because we have so many troops coming in back to back to back,” she said. “It’s just crazy.”

Every 15 minutes, troop leaders arrive, stuff their vehicles with their haul and drive off. These deliveries will go all across Central Oregon.

“What they’re getting is their initial inventory for the orders that the girls have been taking for the last few weeks or so, as well as cookies to get them started for their booth sales,” Zollman said.

Many people are familiar with these booth sales. It’s when the girls set their tables up in store fronts. But many don’t get to see the family members and volunteers behind the scenes, sorting and loading the goods for distribution.

Whether you grab a box of their biggest seller, Thin Mints, or choose to go against the grain with some Savannah Smiles, that box you’re holding was probably sent on its way to you by a group of tireless volunteers working on one of these hectic yearly delivery days.

The cookie program runs from Feb. 19 to March 13. You can find the nearest booth using the “Cookie Locator” at www.girlscoutsosw.org/cookies.