Homeless Girl Scout Troop Holds Its First Girl Scout Cookie Sale

Girl Scout Troop 6000 is making waves in New York City. The troop, which is exclusively for homeless girls in the city, has set up shop in Union Square and are holding their very first Girl Scout cookie sale.

The troop, which has members that all live in homeless shelters in New York City, was formed last year. This is the first troop to serve homeless girls in the United States, and they hope to bring at least 500 girls into the troop.

“I was lonely. All I had was my siblings,” one member named Karina told Today Food. “When Troop 6000 started, that’s when I realized this bad experience is going to turn into a good experience.”

“We established the troop to go into the shelters, to deliver the program to the girls there, to provide consistency,” Girl Scouts of Greater New York CEO Meredith Maskara also told CBS.

The problem? The troop was having trouble finding a place to sell their Girl Scout cookies. There were some unique challenges because this is a troop for homeless girls in the city. The girls in the troop are from all over the city, and they didn’t really have locations to sell from or ways to keep and transport their cookies.

That’s when Kellogg’s NYC Cafe stepped in. Kellogg Company happens to own Little Brownie Bakers, which makes the Girl Scout cookies for the Girl Scouts of Greater New York. So Kellogg’s NYC Cafe gave Troop 6000 a place to sell their cookies. As Today notes, it’s also a place where girls who may have been affected by domestic violence can feel safe while selling their cookies.

And the cookies have already been a huge hit. Troop 6000 had initially wanted to sell 6000 cookies to commemorate their troop number, but they reached their goal on Wednesday and actually ran out of cookies and had to restock. And according to CBS, people waited almost an hour to get their Thin Mints, Samoas, and more.

But New Yorkers still have a chance to get their cookie fix. Troop 6000 is selling cookies on Friday, April 13 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, April 14 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. If customers buy at least five boxes, they’ll get a Troop 6000 patch. And the troop even collaborated with Kellogg’s to create Girl Scout cookie-themed cereal bowls.