PHOTOS COURTESY OF TRACY DEFRANCIS-JOHNSON

St. Francis fifth-grader helps people in need using Girl Scout cookies

METUCHEN – The sweet taste of Thin Mints, Caramel Delites and other Girl Scout favorites drive Sarah Jordan Johnson’s philanthropy success.

“So many people are in need,” said Sarah, who takes great comfort in bringing a smile to the less fortunate. “And if some cookies can make their day better, they should have them.”

Sarah, a junior girl scout with Troop 80724 and a fifth grader at St. Francis Cathedral School in Metuchen, has sold upwards of 1,200 boxes, which has enabled her to give back to local charities like the Ozanam Women’s Shelter in Edison, the Ronald McDonald House in New Brunswick, and to U.S. troops abroad.

This year alone Sarah, an Edison resident, has donated over 350 boxes.

The tenacious ‘tween sets a personal goal each year exceeding her previous year’s record in both sales and donations.

“I did not do this alone. If it wasn’t for all the generous people we asked, these donations wouldn’t be possible,” Sarah said.

In 2017, Sarah solicited donations of 50 blankets and dolls to send to those affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

In 2018, Sarah collected enough money to donate more than 125 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to Ozanam Women’s Shelter and U.S. troops abroad.

She currently has her sights set on volunteering at the North Golf Sectional at Plainfield West 9 Golf Course in Edison in 2019. The golf outing is part of an event for the Special Olympics.

The donations and volunteerism are on top of Sarah’s Girl Scout and school charity drives she also participates in throughout the year.

For more information, visit #BUYABOXDONATEABOX or #BUYONEMORETODONATE.