5,000 boxes, 50 states: Iowa troop for homeless girls marks record year one month into Girl Scout Cookie season

Shannon Mason set two goals for her Girl Scout troop this year: Sell 2,000 boxes of cookies and reach customers in all 50 states.

One month into Girl Scout cookie season, her troop of four girls has already more than doubled its first goal on Thursday, reached its second.

Mason is troop leader for the girls of MICAH House, an emergency family shelter in Council Bluffs for those experiencing homelessness. MICAH House Troop 64224 is modeled after New York City's famous Troop 6000, and they're among just a handful of troops nationwide dedicated to serving girls in the shelter system.

MICAH House established its Girl Scout program in 2018 and has steadily increased its cookie sales each year. They exceeded Mason's goal of 1,000 boxes last year and, given this year's brisk sales, she's already looking at bigger and bolder goals next year.

"It’s been unbelievable," Mason said. "We weren’t quite sure how this cookie season was going to go"

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Samie Swinton, assistant director of public relations and events for Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa, of which MICAH House's troop is a part, said the four-girl troop is "doing very well" already this cookie season.

On average, Iowa scouts sell about 260 packages of cookies per girl each year, according to Swinton.

Divided evenly, the four MICAH House girls have sold more than 1,000 boxes each this year and there's still another month left in the season. And, since they can't set up in-person booths in malls or at retail stores like other troops, they've done it with limited sales options. The shelter does not have transportation for them, and Mason and other volunteers are not allowed to drive the girls in their personal vehicles.

Troop 64224 customers can either place an order to pick up their cookies at the shelter on designated dates, or order them online and have them shipped.

Money Troop 64224 makes off cookie sales will come back to them to support future local Girl Scout activities. Mason said some of the money will likely be used to pay the $25 annual membership if some families cannot afford it, and some will go toward badges and materials for activities. 

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Earning badges can be difficult for the girls, Mason said, since the length of time they're at the shelter varies and membership often changes throughout the year. Mason tries to focus on badges that align with her scouts' interests — one of the girls loves to paint and draw, so the troop earned a diversity patch by painting pictures of themselves and sharing what makes each of them different. 

In her second year as a troop leader for MICAH House, Mason, of Council Bluffs, said she enjoys teaching the girls new skills and crafts.

"I thought if the Girl Scout troop at the MICAH House could be a bright spot in a little girl's life, that was going to be rewarding for myself," she said.

Kayla Terrillion, the child program specialist for MICAH House, oversees the troop and all the shelters' youth programs. She said because of the nature of the shelter, and the unpredictability of the families' length of stay, she runs the scout program year-round so any girl can participate no matter when they arrive — it's a positive outlet for them, Terrillion said.

She's not sure what made this year's cookie sales explode, but she's glad to keep extending goals for the girls so they can continue to reach them. 

"Everyone’s going through the same thing right now with COVID, and so they want to be able to help and do something different," she said. "Everybody, no matter who you are, looks forward to girl scout cookie season."

About MICAH House Troop 64224

MICAH House is an emergency family homeless shelter in Council Bluffs that provides shelter and support services to children and adults. It was founded in 1986.

Its Girl Scouts troop was established in 2018 and includes girls from Iowa and Nebraska who are staying at the shelter or who have left the shelter but still live in the area.

This year's troop has four scouts who have combined to sell more than 5,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies since sales opened at the beginning of February.

Customers can place cookie orders at themicahhouse.org for shipping or pickup in Council Bluffs.

Sarah LeBlanc covers the western suburbs for the Register. Reach her at 515-284-8161 or sleblanc@registermedia.com. Follower her on Twitter at @sarahkayleblanc