Merrill Self Storage, which operates seven facilities in Arkansas and Oklahoma, donated free use of a climate-controlled unit at its Tahlequah, Okla., location to a local Girl Scout chapter for its cookie-fundraising campaign. Tahlequah Girl Scout Troop 251 set up a “cookie cupboard” at 3280 S Muskogee Ave., which allowed them access to the product for individual orders and booth sales.

The troop is part of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma Cherokee Service Unit (GSEOK). From Feb. 3 to March 18, the eight troops in the unit sold 19,510 boxes of cookies, a 6.7 percent over the 2017 season, according to the source. Of the $4 earned for each box, more than 74 percent stays with the scout, her troop and the council to “fund high-quality leadership development programming,” according to the GSEOK website, which serves 13,000 girls and volunteers in 30 eastern Oklahoma counties. The scouts sold the cookies in person and had the option to have a “digital storefront,” a Web-based platform to take orders.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is designed to teach girls five skills: goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics. Participates in the program are eligible to earn the “Cookie Activity Pin” for their uniforms, and a new pin can be earned each year, the source reported.

Merrill Self Storage offers 24-hour gate access, climate-controlled and drive-up units, and vehicle storage at select locations. In addition, it provides check-cashing services and loans at its sites in Sallisaw, Tahlequah and Wagoner, Okla.  

Sources:
Tahlequah Daily Press, Local Girl Scouts Surpass Last Year's Cookie Sales
Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma Cherokee Service Unit, Website