Homeless Girl Scouts aim to sell 6,000 boxes of cookies in New York City
Long gone are the days of Girl Scouts having to go door-to-door to sell their legendary cookies.
Troop 6000, a troop exclusively for homeless Girl Scouts in New York City, recently set up shop in the Kellogg's Union Square. They're aiming to sell a record 6,000 boxes of cookies by Friday.
This will be the first time these homeless Scouts, who live in shelters, will be able to sell cookies for their troop.
In 2017, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio, the Department of Homeless Services, and the Girl Scouts of Greater New York formed Troop 6000 to give program access to homeless young girls, many of whom had been unable to participate because of residential instability. The troop was launched in February, with the official expansion announced in July. Troop leaders aim to reach at least 500 young girls.
Selling cookies was a particular challenge for this group, as its members come from all over the city. This year, the troop resolved the hurdle by partnering with the Kellogg's Cereal Cafe in Union Square, where buyers will be able to purchase and pick up cookies. (We'll be doing our part to help them make those numbers; if you're in the area, you should, too!)
"We are currently serving hundreds of girls and women at sites throughout the city,"Jamie Williams from Girl Scouts of Greater New York, told Mashable. "At the cookie sale this week, expect to have at least 40 girls from multiple sites."
There were 100,000 homeless children in New York City schools in 2015-2016. A record one in seven New York City students is expected to be homeless at some point in their lives.
“Every girl in the five boroughs of New York City deserves a chance to reach her full potential: to have her eyes opened to possibilities for college and careers, to make loving and supportive friends, to learn from caring female mentors, and to chart her own course to achieve her goals. That’s what Troop 6000 is all about,” explains the Girl Scouts of Greater New York website.
On my honor, I will try, to not eat all these cookies, at least not in one sitting, ahem.
Topics New York City
Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.
