Fairwood Area Girl Scouts Give Back
with the help of Local Neighborhoods

During two of the coldest and snowiest days in December, two groups of local Girl Scouts braved the weather to sing Christmas carols for food. This donated food was in turn, donated to two local food banks.

Candlewood Drive
On December 12, local Brownie Troop 42129 handed out fliers and also sang in the Candlewood Ridge neighborhood. The group of girls, ages 6 and 7, collected 100 pounds of food, which was donated to Northwest Harvest.

Their day in the neighborhood began with rain, which turned into sleet and then into snow. Even though the weather wasn't cooperating, they returned to the homes where fliers were distributed to collect the food.

"They stayed out to sing to all of the houses they had dropped off fliers to as not to disappoint anyone or miss the opportunity for a donation," said leader Nicole Jensen.

Neighbors Appreciative
The act of collecting food and gifting neighbors with carols was an exchange homeowners enjoyed. “ In all the years my husband and I have been married, no one has ever sung us Christmas Carols! This was great!” said one neighbor.

Lake Youngs Drive
The next drive was set for December 19, where Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts, ages 8-11, focused on homes located in the Lake Youngs Elementary School area. The girls again distributed fliers and sang during another freezing and snowy night, but the results were impressive, with a total of 135 pounds of food collected. The King of Kings Lutheran Church Food Bank was the selected recipient for this food.

“The girls were really cold; I think it was like 25 with snow on the ground that night but they sang their hearts out. We had about 25 of us out there with the girls and adults. One lady baked cookies to hand out in anticipation of us coming since we had passed out flyers a few days earlier,” said troop leader Gail Sahli.

Three troops, 41221, 51394, and 51080, participated in this successful drive.

Sahli's group was the first to offer this opportunity to give back to the community. This is the third year this group has sung carols for food during the holidays, and their hope is that more groups will make this service project a part of their traditions each year.

"This year, especially with the economy, the need for food is greater than ever. This is such a great experience for the girls and a fun way to make a difference in their community no matter how small! It was really nice to have such a generous response from everyone especially with such tough economic times," said Jensen.

Responses to "Girl Scout Food Drives"

Fairwood Area Girl Scouts Give Back with the help of Local Neighborhoods