DeKalb to donate thousands of boxes of unsold Girl Scout cookies to families in need

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County leaders have worked out a plan to donate unsold boxes of Girl Scout cookies to families in need.

The plan will help Georgia farmers too.

Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen was at the Atlanta State Farmer’s Market in Forest Park, where there are 700,000 boxes of unsold cookies.

Last week, Channel 2 took you inside an Alpharetta warehouse that was also full of cookies. Since the pandemic began, DeKalb County has provided fresh fruit and vegetables to families in need. Now, families will also be getting a sweet treat.

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Petersen talked to DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond about how the plan was hatched to add Girl Scout cookies to donation boxes.

“We were preparing for the Mother’s Day food distribution, and the two ideas just came together at 3 o’clock one morning,” Thurmond said.

Thurmond said he’d just watched a recording of Channel 2 Action News at 6 about the leftover cookies.

The county has partnered with Nickey Gregory company to provide the care boxes. Blair Greenhill with Nickey Gregory said that the donations help both the families who receive them and his employees.

“It’s not just ‘where’ these boxes are going. That’s great that it’s going to people in need, especially with this time with COVID,” Greenhill said. “But also, all these employees we have out here packing boxes, it gave them jobs too.”

The county bought 20,000 boxes of cookies in all.

“I said it’s be a great idea to help support the Girl Scouts and at the same time, support and provide a treat for those fighting to keep food on the table,” Thurmond said.

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Millions of dollars of unsold Girl Scouts cookies stacked up in metro Atlanta warehouse