Girl Scouts in Ames have gotten creative when it comes to selling cookies while prioritizing safety. 

Ginny Mitchell, program specialist of entomology and program coordinator at the Iowa State Insect Zoo, is also a Girl Scout troop leader and regional cookie booth coordinator. Mitchell said the Girl Scouts have partnered with Grubhub to deliver cookies to customers.

“The Girl Scouts of the United States of America have partnered with Grubhub to have Girl Scout cookies delivered through the Grubhub delivery drivers,” Mitchell said. “It’s not available in every area, but we are super lucky that we are able to do it here in Iowa. So Ames is not the only town that is doing it, it’s also Des Moines, Sioux City and Ankeny.”

Mitchell explained that usually, the girls would sell their cookies by going door-to-door and by setting up booths at grocery stores like Hy-Vee, WalMart and Fareway. 

They are still doing booth sales but wanted an alternative option for troops that may not be comfortable with that. 

Mitchell was able to get a location set up in Ames for the girls to package the cookies before Grubhub drivers pick them up to get delivered to customers. 

All of the cookies come from local troops.

“The girls are at a location and the shifts are split up between troops all over the area, not just in Ames, but also Boone and Story counties,” Mitchell said. “And they … work it just like a booth sale, so they get the orders, they prepare the orders, bag them up and set them out for the delivery driver to come and pick up. Being able to offer 100 percent contactless sales of Girl Scout cookies is super exciting.”

Mitchell said this has provided the girls with a great opportunity to learn how to adapt to different conditions.

“And it’s a really great way because Girl Scouts — with the cookie season — is about girls building a business, learning about entrepreneurship and accepting responsibility, you know, in a big way,” she said. “Being able to see how one can adapt to the changing times, being able to have this partnership with Grubhub is giving girls that opportunity to adapt to, you know, to the things that happen, including a virus.”

The cookies are available to be delivered on the weekends. Delivery hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 

Orders can be placed on the Grubhub app or on the website. 

The cookies will be sold for $5 a package. Grubhub is offering free delivery on cookies for this weekend only. From Feb. 15 to 28, Grubhub is also offering a buy-one-get-one deal on boxes of cookies.

Cookies will be delivered through Grubhub until March 28.