I am a big fan of Girl Scout cookies, even though they always seem to pop up right in the middle of my annual mid-winter diet. Not their fault I have impulse control issues. Anyway, I recently saw a post by a friend who wrote “If you don’t have a child in your life who is selling Girl Scout cookies, consider purchasing them from Troop 6000 which is comprised entirely of unhoused girls.” Intrigued, I did a little hunting, and it’s a marvelous idea!

“Unlike most Girl Scout [troops], Troop 6000’s cookie sale covers all fees for the girls including trips, summer camps and other activities. The troop has sold more than $1.6 million worth of cookies since 2017, benefiting about 2,500 women and girls across more than 20 shelters in the Greater New York area. The funds help the troop hold Girl Scouts activities, as well as launch programs like the Troop 6000 Transition Initiative to support scouts and their families as they transition to permanent housing.”

-CNN Business

Last year, the troop expanded their members to include girls currently living in New York City’s Emergency Response and Relief Centers, including immigrants and asylum seekers. In addition to providing activities for the children, the troop offers volunteer opportunities for the mothers of those girls who are not permitted to seek employment while waiting for their asylum cases to be heard. There is data that proves Girl Scout alumnae have a stronger sense of self, achieve higher levels of education, and are more likely to reach a higher socio-economic status, but there’s so much more. The lasting friendships and sense of community are perhaps just as important as the socio-economic benefits of the club.

The troop was started in 2017 by Giselle Burgess while she and her five children were living in a homeless shelter. The first troop was just Burgess’s three daughters and a handful of other girls from the shelter, but it caught on fast. Burgess is still the troop leader, and under her leadership, the program has truly thrived. Though it started at a single shelter location, the program now reaches girls across the five boroughs of New York.

You can follow Troop 6000 on the Girl Scouts of Greater New York website and on Instagram, and you can buy their cookies here.