Girl Scouts of Connecticut on Front Lines of Combatting Food Insecurity Across State

Giving Tuesday may be behind us, but Girl Scouts of Connecticut continues to give back to the communities that have sustained the organization for more than 114 years. Across the state, Girl Scouts have rallied to address food insecurity through girl-led service projects that created immediate relief and long-lasting resources for families in need. Through what is known as Girl Scouts Give Back, troops and individual Girl Scouts organized food drives, built permanent food pantries, supported local shelters, and delivered thousands of meals and essential items to neighbors experiencing food insecurity. While many of these service events have now concluded, their impact continues to be felt throughout Connecticut during the holiday season and into the new year.

“Community service has always been central to the Girl Scout mission, and our girls continue to lead with compassion, creativity, and purpose,” said Elicia Pegues Spearman, CEO of Girl Scouts of Connecticut. “As food insecurity remains a growing challenge across our state, these girl-led efforts demonstrate how young leaders can create meaningful, sustainable change in their communities.”

Recent initiatives led by Girl Scouts of Connecticut include:

• Cadette Troop 34010 in Monroe hosted a food drive at the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library, collecting nonperishable items for the Monroe Food Pantry.
• Enfield Daisy Troop put together twelve Birthday Boxes as part of their Good Neighbor badge. The boxes, which contain a box of cake, frosting, can of sprite, candles, a birthday banner, balloons, and a birthday party blower, were dropped off to the Enfield Food Shelf.
• A Junior Girl Scout from Enfield Troop 10343 created six Thanksgiving meal bags for the Enfield Food Shelf as part of her True North Award project.
• A Juliette Girl Scout from Monroe inspired support from a resident who purchased her entire cookie inventory when she hosted an Election Week Cookie Booth and requested that she give free packages of cookies to all voters. Any remaining boxes not given to voters were donated to support Cookies for Heros, an initiative that gifts Girl Scout cookies to men and women serving our country.
• Multi-level Troop 50549 in Stamford hosted a Friendsgiving food drive benefiting the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County.
• Troop 30093 in Stratford collected toiletries, blankets, gloves, and socks for St. James Bridge Ministry and supported the Stratford Animal Rescue Society.
• Senior Troop 50301 in Greenwich used cookie proceeds to purchase high-need perishable food items and supplies for the Connecticut Food Bank in Stamford.
• Fairfield Cadette Troop 30441 launched a monthly “community cooking” initiative, baking brownies for nOURish Bridgeport and preparing lunches for Operation Hope.
• A Juliette Ambassador and National Delegate in Ridgefield built six freestanding food pantries, launched a monthly sandwich program serving over 120 individuals, and coordinated a district-wide school food drive.
• Fourth-grade Junior Troop 64222 from Wolcott organized a drive for pet food to donate to the Wolcott Food Pantry. If families are struggling to put food on their tables for humans, then their pets are in need too. The members made posters and put two collection boxes in town: one at the grocery store, the other at the library.

To highlight these efforts, Girl Scouts of Connecticut has updated its website with a growing list of completed service projects, allowing the public to learn more about how Girl Scouts are addressing food insecurity in communities across the state. Visitors are encouraged to explore what Girl Scouts Give Back is all about at:

https://www.gsofct.org/en/discover/about-gsofct/girl-scouts-give-back.html

Those who wish to support future girl-led service initiatives may also donate directly to Girl Scouts of Connecticut at:

https://www.gsofct.org/en/support-us/ways-to-support-us/donate-locally/donation-form.html

“Increased visibility helps drive awareness and support for the work our girls are leading every day,” added Spearman. “These projects reflect the heart of Girl Scouting and the powerful role girls play in strengthening their communities.”

Visit www.gsofct.org for more information and to get involved in the organization.

About Girl Scouts of Connecticut

Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to make the world a better place. Through programs around the state, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit www.gsofct.org.