Dear Editor,
I would like to provide additional context regarding the recent letter about Girl Scout cookie sales in Bonners Ferry.
First and foremost, troops from outside Bonners Ferry did not set up any cookie booths at Super 1 or Safeway over the weekend. I confirmed this directly with store management at both locations.
Last week, due to a communication issue at the council level involving a Sandpoint location, several booth locations were unexpectedly canceled for the remainder of the season. Not all of them, just specific dates. This was not the fault of any individual troop, but it did leave many of us needing to find replacement locations for the troops that had our booths canceled.
Our Service Unit Manager reached out directly to the Bonners Ferry troop leader and was told that certain booth locations had been canceled by her and were available to use. During that same conversation, it was also shared that girls from outside Bonners Ferry would not be welcomed and may be treated poorly.
I then made a post completely in response to that concern. We were told booth spots were available, and as leader, it is my responsibility to ensure the girls are placed in safe and supportive environments. I have a troop member who is a resident of Bonners Ferry, and family and friends in town, so this was not coming from someone without connection to the community. I have always known Bonners Ferry to be a kind and welcoming community, and my intent was simply to reinforce that and to share how all Girl Scouts work toward shared goals.
We are already well into cookie season, and the early weeks of sales were solely Bonners Ferry troops. This was never about taking opportunities away but simply trying to adjust to unexpected changes later in the season and make use of booth spaces we understood to be available. Any consideration to use those locations was based on direct communication that told us they were available and done in good faith.
Girl Scouts is built on being honest and fair and being a sister to every Girl Scout. It is my hope that we can move forward with those values in mind and keep the focus where it belongs, on the girls.
Kelcey Boss