Twinkle lights framing door and window frames, wrapped packages, and maybe even time in the snow. There are some crucial ingredients that make up the holiday season, but for Girl Scouts, it’s how you give back that makes this season joyful and bright. Here are some of the many incredible examples of how Girl Scouts of Western Washington are giving back and making a difference in their communities this holiday season.
For 10 years the Girl Scouts from Service Unit 151 in south Whidbey Island have hosted an annual food drive. Back in November, they asked community members for nonperishable food items or cash donations, and the girls ended up with over 560 pounds of food along with cash donations! But they didn’t stop there. The girls used the donated money to purchase supplies to make handmade soup kits. All the food, monetary donations, and soup kits were donated to their local food bank, Good Cheer Food Bank.
Over in Ballard, Troop 40827 wanted to help local communities in need and set up a table of their homemade goodies at the Ballard Elks Holiday Market in early December. They joined over 30 local artists and makers at the Ballard Elks Lodge, where customers could donate toys or non-perishable food items for struggling families. Every year the Ballard Elks Lodge assembles over 50 baskets with a turkey or ham, food sides and a toy for each child. It’s crafting for a cause!
Four Cadette Girl Scouts in Olympia and Steilacoom collaborated to tackle the restoration of a critical, but much-abused shoreline property this winter. The Nisqually Land Trust recently acquired a piece of land along the main stem of the Nisqually River, near Yelm. Over the years, the acreage had been torn up by dirt bikes and off-road vehicles, and the Land Trust turned to the Girl Scouts of Troop 45261 and 40116 to help. For much of 2019, the Cadettes completed rigorous restoration courses, raised funds, recruited volunteers, salvaged plants, and planned work parties in pursuit of their Silver Award and restoring the Nisqually Watershed. This December, the girls’ work came to fruition when they planted over 500 native trees with volunteers at the Yelm Shoreline Protected area. Their work contributes to the restoration of Nisqually River’s McKenna Reach, a salmon-rich but highly vulnerable area.
From nourishing the land to nourishing the mind, we found the Girl Scouts from Troop 40464 making a difference to young readers on Bainbridge Island this season. The girls collected book donations at Eagle Harbor Books bookstore for Helpline House’s Book Nook. From holiday classics to new titles, all donated books go to supply young readers in need through the Helpline House–a community non-profit that provides social services to help Bainbridge Island neighbors receive essential needs.
Right after Thanksgiving, Troop 45095 had similar plans for serving individuals in need over in Kitsap county. The Girl Scouts visited their local Safeway grocery store to collect food drive items and donations for Fishline, a nonprofit that provides food, emergency services, and other resources to help end homelessness for the North Kitsap area. They took the donated funds and shopped for specific food needed by Fishline for its food bank. But these Girl Scouts weren’t done giving back! After their food drive ended, the girls visited a local mall to pick out Giving Tree recipients and purchase presents for kids.
The Girl Scouts from Service Unit 604 have their own long-running tradition of giving. This was the 11th year of their “Operation Cookie Tray,” where the girls gather on December 24 to make cookies and cheerful cards before delivering them to Mission Essential personnel on JBLM who must work on Christmas Eve.
Whether it’s giving back to communities in need, restoring natural habitat in the region, or bringing joy to those working during the holiday, Girl Scouts giving back truly makes the ultimate gift this holiday season!