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Girl Scouts Troop 902 in Fishtown needs to sell 4,000 more cookies by March 22
Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania Troop 902 in Fishtown needs to sell at least 4,000 more boxes of cookies by March 22 to fund their programs and avoid possible shutdown.
PHILADELPHIA - Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania Troop 902 in Fishtown are making a final push to meet their cookie sales goal, with thousands of boxes left to sell before their March 22 deadline.
Troop faces shortfall in cookie sales
What we know:
The troop, which has more than 60 scouts from kindergarten through high school seniors, ordered about 17,000 boxes of cookies for this season, according to Caitlin Shuler, co-leader of Troop 902.
So far, they have sold 12,000 boxes since mid-January.
Shuler said last year the troop sold about 18,000 boxes.
She said, "Maybe some people are taking their New Year’s resolutions a little more seriously this year." The Girl Scouts of Eastern PA extended the cookie season due to winter weather, but sales remain behind.
On Tuesday, the scouts sold cookies at Shissler Recreation Center and Palmer Park, taking advantage of warmer weather to try to boost sales.
"We still have a bunch of cookies in our house," said Eva Shuler, a junior scout.
Why you should care:
The money from cookie sales funds troop activities, supplies, badges, and camping trips, Shuler said.
"When you buy cookies, you give money to the Girl Scout troops and Girl Scouts can go out and do fun things and learn to do more things, and it motivates them," said Maggie Shuler, a cadet scout.
If the troop does not meet its goal, Shuler said, "Well, if it’s really dire, we may have to shut down the troop. The funds go towards paying for vests, go towards paying for supplies, for meetings, it goes towards the badges. We try to do one camping trip. We have girls who live in the city who normally can’t get out of the city on their own."
The community’s response and ways to help
What they're saying:
Shuler said, "I’m really proud of our girls and our scouts and how hard they’ve worked and our parents. The community gives us a lot of hope because everybody is rolling behind us, but it’s scary and nerve-racking."
Supporters like Ash Powers from Fishtown said, "Really formative experience growing up" and "Happy to support."
What you can do:
The scouts are hoping for a strong turnout at their sales events this weekend.
They will be outside La Colombe from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and at Joe’s Steaks from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Fishtown on Saturday and Sunday.
People can also support Troop 902 online at facebook.com/riverwardstroop902.
You can also purchase cookies for donation. The troop donates cookies to homeless shelters, veterans and seniors in the community.