Can I donate money to Troop 6000?
Yes! Make a gift through our online form for Troop 6000.
Can I donate items to Troop 6000?
Though we are very grateful for people’s generosity, we do not have the capacity to sort, store, or deliver items to shelters. We appreciate your understanding.
We have made exceptions only very occasionally for materials that fit within existing program needs. If you think your donation might be exceptional, please contact Customer Care.
If you are interested in making donations directly to shelters, here are some organizations you can contact:
Note: For the safety and privacy of our members, we do not disclose shelter locations.
Can I offer an experience to Troop 6000?
Yes! Troop 6000 welcomes opportunities for Girl Scouts to participate in engaging experiences. Opportunities must be offered at no cost and align with Girl Scout values. If you're interested in providing an experience for Troop 6000 Girl Scouts, please contact Customer Care.
How many girls are experiencing homelessness in New York City?
Nearly 100,000 New Yorkers sleep in the city's shelter system each night, including more than 30,000 children.
Why do families experience homelessness?
Families make up the majority of New Yorkers living in shelters. The primary cause of homelessness in New York City is a lack of affordable housing. A family may enter a shelter after an eviction, living in overcrowded housing, losing a job, or fleeing domestic violence.
What do Girl Scouts in Troop 6000 do?
Members of Troop 6000 attend weekly meetings across all five boroughs of New York City, and do what all Girl Scouts do—make friends, explore the city, and gain confidence in new situations.
They earn badges on topics like STEM, financial literacy, environmental protection, civic engagement, and community service. Troop 6000 also goes on field trips, visits workplaces, participates in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, and participates in programming at Camp Kaufmann.
How can I help Troop 6000?
The best way to help Troop 6000 is to make a monetary gift or become a volunteer.
What is required of a troop leader?
Troop 6000 is led by parents and caregivers of Troop 6000 Girl Scouts, as well as community volunteers. The time commitment for volunteer troop leaders is approximately two hours per week. Troop leaders lead meetings, liaise with shelter staff and parents, and take Girl Scouts on trips.
All Troop 6000 volunteers are required to complete a background check and training course. Through training, you will learn about NYC's shelter system, the support offered by our council, and how to lead troop meetings. You will also have the opportunity to hear from current volunteers about the challenges they face and the rewards they reap.
After completing these requirements, you will be matched with one of our locations. Your location and availability will be taken into consideration.
Become a Troop 6000 Volunteer >
Conviértase en voluntario de la Tropa 6000 >
Can I do an article or video about Troop 6000?
For more information, please contact media@girlscoutsnyc.org.
Can my company help?
Yes! If your company is interested in becoming a financial supporter of Troop 600, hosting a workplace visit, or lending your space for events, please contact Customer Care.
Can I or my Girl Scout troop meet members of Troop 6000?
To respect the confidentiality and privacy of Girl Scouts, their families, and other residents, visitors are not permitted to attend Troop 6000 meetings.
If you want to get to know members of Troop 6000, check out the following news coverage:
Can my Girl Scout troop write letters or send SWAPS to Troop 6000?
Your Girl Scout troop is welcome to write letters to members of Troop 6000. However, please note our council cannot facilitate return connections.
Please be mindful to use person-first language that views girls living in shelters as whole individuals and avoids language that others them. We will screen letters before sending them to Girl Scouts in Troop 6000. Please see below for an example letter.
Dear Troop 6000,
We read about you in the news and wanted to reach out to say we are so excited to learn you are part of our Girl Scout sisterhood. You have sisters and supporters all over the world cheering you on, including us!
We hope these SWAPs remind you of us and the courage, confidence, and character we all strive for.
Yours in Girl Scouting,
Troop ____
Other ideas include cards celebrating Troop 6000’s birthday (established February 2017), Founder’s Day, or promoting traditional Girl Scout activities like camping or World Thinking Day.
Please mail letters and SWAPS to:
Girl Scouts of Greater New York
Attn: Troop 6000
40 Wall Street, Suite 708
New York, NY 10005
If your troop would like to donate money to Troop 6000, make a gift through our online form.
Can my Girl Scout Troop work with Troop 6000 to earn their Gold, Silver, or Bronze Awards?
To protect the privacy of Troop 6000 Girl Scouts, we do not allow visitors at troop meetings.
However, if you're inspired by the volunteers and Girl Scouts in Troop 6000 and want to help, consider embarking on a take action project that addresses issues like homelessness, affordable and safe housing, low wages, or domestic violence. As part of your project—or on your own—contact your elected officials to advocate for addressing these systemic issues.
If you are an NYC Girl Scout and you would like to discuss ways to incorporate these issues into a Highest Awards project, please contact highestawards@girlscoutsnyc.org.
What happens when girls in Troop 6000 leave the shelter?
The average length of stay for a family in a New York City shelter is 18 months.
To help facilitate a successful transition from shelter to permanent housing, it is essential girls stay connected to the community and opportunities introduced to them through Girl Scouting.
Therefore, on October 1, 2018 we launched our Troop 6000 Transition Initiative to ensure girls and their families continue to have access to Girl Scouting and the community, consistency, fun, and learning it provides. We support girls and their families by:
- Delivering a “Welcome Home Basket” with items like shampoo, soap, pillows, and blankets, to ease the transition to their new homes.
- Connecting families to a local troop where Girl Scouts can continue their experience.
- Continuing to provide need-based financial aid for up to three years.
- Continuing to invite Troop 6000 Girl Scouts to community events to stay connected to friends and the vibrant and supportive community they’ve built and nurtured.
Why do members of Troop 6000 sell Girl Scout Cookies?
All Girl Scout troops are “girl-led,” which means girls get to choose and direct their own activities. Selling cookies was not part of our original plan for Troop 6000, but the girls spoke up and said they didn’t want to miss out on this classic Girl Scout experience! The Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches valuable financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills that benefit all who participate.
Where does the money from their Girl Scout Cookie sales go?
100% of the proceeds from each box of cookies sold by members of Troop 6000 directly supports their troop experience and is used to pay for things like badge activity supplies, uniforms, field trips, and trips to Camp Kaufmann. Like all Girl Scouts, Troop 6000 members work together to set goals and to decide how their cookie profits are spent.
I feel bad for girls in Troop 6000.
That’s understandable. Shelters provide families with much needed emergency housing, but children are particularly distressed by the process of moving frequently, losing comfort items (stuffed animals, favorite clothes, pets, neighborhood connections), and being uprooted from their routines.
Losing your home is a traumatic event. Many families that enter the shelter system have moved two or three times before they end up in a shelter, which can negatively impact a young person’s sense of stability and community. Troop 6000 is built to provide consistency, stability, fun, and community through an uncertain and stressful time in a child’s life.
Besides becoming a Troop 6000 leader or donating, you can make change in your community by advocating for affordable housing, welcoming a shelter to your neighborhood, or contacting your local service provider to find out how best to help.
