You may not realize it, but the Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-run business in the country. It’s more than a fundraiser; it’s a unique, hands-on way for girls to develop essential life skills such as decision-making, business ethics, money management, goal setting and people skills.

A key element of the Girl Scout Cookie Program is the Gift of Caring. Through this component of our product sale, the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore donate boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to the United States military and The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

This year, the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore has joined with Press Communication, owners of Thunder 106, B98.5 and The Breeze, to increase the number of cookies we give to these outstanding organizations. This enhances each troop's Gift of Caring initiatives, including those sold during initial sales and booth sales.

Every restaurant in Monmouth and Ocean counties is invited to join this partnership as well.

By participating in the Gift of Caring Partnership restaurants not only support a local Girl Scout or Girl Scout troop but also our community. In exchange, each restaurant receives free promotion with our partner radio station and Girl Scout websites, as well as some on-air promotion. In addition, the restaurant that donates the most cookies will host a radio station event where cookies will be delivered to our partner organizations.

If You Are A Girl Scout

Read the Gift of Caring Comic

If you are a Girl Scout who would like to participate in this program, the first step is to contact the council. You need to receive permission from the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore before speaking with a restaurant manager or owner. You need to do this for three reasons:

1. To ensure every girl has an equal opportunity to contact restaurants in her community
2. To prevent conflicts that might arise if multiple Girl Scouts approach the same restaurant
3. To respect the decision of those restaurants that have chosen not to participate by preventing another girl from approaching the business.

• Click here if you are a girl/troop that would like to contact a restaurant to participate. Please limit yourself to contacting one restaurant at a time to ensure every girl has a chance to contact their first or second choice.
• Download the comic that explains the Gift of Caring Program. Share it with your girls!

Print the following materials to show restaurant owners/managers during your Gift of Caring presentation

• Download the letter that should be presented to the restaurant owner/manager when requesting participation
• Download the card restaurants will be given to include with every customer's bill
• Download the table tent each restaurant will receive to place at each table
• Download a sample of the participation certificate restaurants will be able to display

If You Are A Restaurant Owner/Manager

If you participate in the Gift of Caring Partnership, you will receive materials to present to your customers, including table tents and donation cards to present to your customers when they pay their bill. These materials ask them to donate $4 to buy a box of cookies for the Gift of Caring. You have the freedom to determine your own involvement. Whether you accept credit cards or require donations to be cash only, the decision is entirely up to you. The girl or troop that partners with your restaurant will collect money once a week.

• Click here if you are a restaurant owner/manager who would like to participate.

What If We Don't Want to Partner

 The traditional Gift of Caring program will continue the same as it has in previous years. Troops can decide to participate and donate cookies to The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties or choose a different organization. While order taking, each girl should ask her customers if they would like to purchase an additional package of cookies as a gift for The FoodBank. A blank column is available on the girl order card to track “Gift of Caring” sales. Girls collect the money for customer orders and “Gift of Caring” cookies when they deliver the cookies to the customers. If a customer has only purchased cookies for the “Gift of Caring” activity, it is acceptable to collect that money at the time of the sale.

Gift of Caring Tips

• Use your extra boxes from the full cases that you order to fulfill your Gift of Caring orders. The Gift of Caring orders do not need to be any specific variety.
• Use the designated column (first one) to document amount of boxes for the Gift of Caring. Be careful not to add your Gift of Caring boxes in twice!
• Need extras to fulfill your Gift of Caring pledges? If you are still in need of boxes after your extra boxes have been depleted, simply contact the council and it will complete the order.
• We offer options for the collection of Gift of Caring boxes. Troops can bring their donations directly to a council service center, check with others in their community to join forces and save gas, or contact one of the product sales team members at either council office.