Photo: Before the board’s three-hour meeting Monday, (in front, from left) Natalie Berman, Reilly Lubien, Ava Eckman, Lucia Campisano, Nina Sheth-Voss; (in back, from left) Adam Dash; Mark Paolillo; Craig Spinale, Belmont Light’s acting General Manager, and Jim Williams.

In the bleakness of winter, when days are short and the weather intemperate, there is a sliver of universal joy that breaks through the gloom: it’s Girl Scout Cookies time.

Everyone has at least one favorite of the eleven cookie recipes – including S’mores, Shortbread/Trefoils, Lemonades and Thin Mints – being sold this year. The annual cookies sale provides funds for local experiences such as trips, stays at Scout camps and creating community service projects. It’s also the largest entrepreneurial program for girls in the world.

On Monday, Jan. 23, local Girl Scouts set up a table outside the Belmont Board of Selectmen’s Room before the board’s weekly meeting. Besides have a nice-sized crowd, the girls – Natalie Berman, Reilly Lubien, Ava Eckman, Lucia Campisano, Nina Sheth-Voss – discovered that Selectmen Chair Jim Williams is somewhat of a cookie connoisseur, buying his own supply as he urged his fellow selectmen (Adam Dash and Mark Paolillo) to dig deep and buy a box or two. 

This Saturday, Jan. 27, Scouts will be selling cookies out in front of the Trapelo Road Star Market in Waverley Square while others over the next few weeks will be at the Belmont Post Office on Concord Avenue and at special events around town. You can also find where sales are taking place by going to the website: http://www.girlscouts.org/en/cookies/all-about-cookies/How-to-Buy.html