The Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians will sell Girl Scout Cookies at a drive-through booth in a last call for the community on Saturday, May 1, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the former Toys-R-Us parking lot, directly across from the Johnson City Mall.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented a few challenges for cookie season; however, the Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians responded with creative solutions, such as online ordering and a Grubhub partnership.
Despite those efforts, cookie sales are down 30 percent and the nonprofit has just over 100,000 boxes of unsold cookies in East Tennessee. That is almost enough boxes to cover the distance from Interstate 81 to the Johnson City Mall. The May 1 event offers community members a final opportunity to stock up on their favorite Girl Scout Cookies.
“Two cookie seasons in 2020 and 2021 have now been impacted by the pandemic, but these young entrepreneurs have persevered and learned valuable life and business lessons,” said Lynne Fugate, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians. “This event is not only a last call to stock your freezer full of Thin Mints and Samoas. It’s also a great opportunity to support the leadership activities and programs that the girls participate in for the rest of the year.”
Available cookies include Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos, Trefoils, Lemon-Ups, Girl Scout S’mores and Toffee-tastic. Customers can pay by cash or credit card and even donate a box to local health care workers and first responders.
The drive-through cookie booth will be at 1910 North Roan Street in Johnson City. The event will be outdoors, and participants will follow all safety protocols, including the wearing of masks by cookie booth staff.
