Girl Scout Gold Award Project Boosts Elwood Middle School Food Pantry

ELWOOD, N.Y. — Elwood-John H. Glenn High School senior Riley Perinchief has earned the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award after completing a service project designed to support families who rely on Elwood Middle School’s food pantry.

For her initiative, Perinchief created a “Pantry to Table” cookbook, filled with simple, budget-friendly recipes using the ingredients typically included in the pantry’s monthly food boxes. The goal, she said, was to give families an easy way to “spice up” their meals and add variety without needing to buy extra ingredients.

To make the project accessible to more households, Perinchief also produced a full Spanish-language edition of the cookbook.

In addition to writing and publishing the two cookbooks, she organized a community food drive to collect many of the nonperishable items featured in the recipes, further stocking the pantry and supporting local families.

The Girl Scout Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouts and recognizes long-term, sustainable projects that address community needs. Perinchief’s bilingual cookbook and pantry initiative will continue to be shared with families who visit the school’s pantry program.