Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Box, Biscuit |
Title |
Girl Guide Special Cookies |
Date |
c. 1962 |
Creator |
Girl Guides of Canada |
Description |
A cardboard Girl Guide cookie box belonging to Jo-Anne Storen. The cookie box is blue with yellow and white lettering reading, "Girl Guide / Special Cookies". On the proper left is a depiction of a Guide and Brownie with "Thank You!" written underneath. In pencil, above the imagery, is written, "Jo-Anne". On the side of the front side of the box, there is a message reading, "Thank You / You have supported guiding in your district, and camping and leadership training in your province". Beside the message, there is the Girl Guides logo and a Brownie elf. On the back side, there is an image of a camp site. |
History |
This cookie box belonged to local White Oaks Area Guide Jo-Anne Storen from Applewood in early-mid 1960s. Jo-Anne Storen was a member of the 3rd Applewood Brownie Pack and later the 1st Applewood Guide Company. Jo-Anne's older sister, two years her senior, was also a Brownie and Guide. Fond memories of her time with the Applewood Girl Guides linger in Jo-Anne's recollections. As Brownies, they convened at Westacres Public School, where Jo-Anne vividly recalls enchanting tales of brownies and fairies. A plastic owl with animated eyes served as a receptacle for their membership dues, and she took great pride in her Brownie uniform, diligently polishing her pins with a toothbrush and paste until they gleamed. Reflecting on those days, she chuckled, "[I] only realized much later that our cries of 'towit, toowoo' were owl noises!"Her journey included earning various badges, such as mastering semaphore flags, knitting, and housekeeping, the latter involving tasks like making beds and preparing tapioca, often in a leader's or parent's home. However, Jo-Anne was a desperately shy child and it was a great challenge for her to be part of a big group of kids. Upon "flying up" to the Guides, she transitioned to meetings at Applewood United Church, though after her brief Guiding career, the 1st Applewood Guides would also shift their gatherings to Westacres Public School in 1970. While Jo-Anne's tenure in the Guides was relatively brief, her sister continued and was involved in several camping trips along Mississauga Road at a property owned by the Commissioner. Girl Guides have been selling cookies in Canada since 1927 when the first cookie was sold a leader in Regina who came up with the idea to bake and package cookies for her girls to sell as a way to raise money for uniforms and camping equipment. Thus began the practice of selling cookies to fundraise various Girl Guide activities or projects. For example, when the practice spread to Toronto in 1929, cookie sales were being used to raise funds to replace the barn roof at Bonita Glen. Soon afterwards, cookies were being sold across the province of Ontario. From 1929 to 1948, cookie sales were arranged independently by districts and divisions. Beginning in 1949, contracts for Ontario’s cookies were organized at the provincial level, but Divisions and Areas remained responsible for arranging their orders directly with the supplier. When the province took over, the trefoil shape was introduced, which has remained an iconic part of Girl Guide cookies. Eventually, sometime in the 1960s or 1970s, cookie sales became a national program with standardized cookies, packaging and pricing across Canada. |
References |
"Cookie History", Girl Guides. Retrieved from: https://www.girlguides.ca/web/GGC/Cookies/Cookie_History/GGC/Cookies/Cookie_History "Cookies in Canada", Girl Guide History Tidbits, 2016. Retrieved from: https://guidehistory.wordpress.com/2016/10/08/cookies-in-canada/ |
People |
Storen, Jo-Anne |
Search Terms |
Applewood White Oaks Area |