How a Girl-Led Troop Took Action
Troop 20178 in Racine County formed three years ago as Girl Scout Daisies and now includes 10 Girl Scout Brownies and Juniors. From the start, this troop has stressed being girl-led; girls co-lead each meeting with a troop leader, do projects to earn a Girl Scout badge at every meeting, and weigh in on types of future programs and experiences they’d like to do, from camping to STEM activities to community service projects and everything in between.
So, when troop co-leader Olivia was scrolling on Facebook one day and she and her Girl Scout daughter, Rae, saw a post about a local food bank asking for shelf-stable donations, it was no surprise that they, and the rest of the troop, quickly leapt to action. Rae simply asked the troop if anyone could come to the next troop meeting with a nonperishable food item to put together one bag to donate, and that single ask quickly grew into a full-on community food drive.
“Why don’t we all do it!” exclaimed the Girl Scouts. “Let’s take action.”
The Girl Scouts created posters asking for food donations that were hung around the community and coordinated large collection bins to put in the local golf course lobby and Olympia Brown Elementary School. The girls soon experienced the ripple effect of their good deed—support that started with their troop soon spread to their local driving range, school, surrounding coffee shops, the Caledonia Community Group, and more—and over six weeks the troop was able to collect 1,000 pounds of nonperishable protein, fruit, and veggies for the Racine County Food Bank (RCFB).
“It was remarkable to see all the girls embrace this idea,” marveled Olivia. “One girl is quite shy, and she ended up collecting a huge amount of food to donate. She pulled me aside and told me she felt so good inside from working on this project and giving back. It’s been very rewarding to see each of the Girl Scouts blossom in this troop, and we are incredibly lucky to have each of them bring their strengths and passions to the group.”
The troop’s work didn’t stop there. The Girl Scouts also volunteered at the RCFB to deepen their connection to neighbors in need. While dropping off their food donation, the girls practiced teamwork to sort items, toured the food bank and learned about who benefits from the food bank’s services and resources, and enjoyed a picnic in the RCFB garden, where they discussed their “a-ha” moments from their day giving back.
The troop got a better sense of why food banks exist, developed a closer connection to families who need services, and got a real taste of how their efforts can make a big impact. The girls left feeling inspired to continue their work in the community, both at the RCFB by potentially painting benches and the conference room, and beyond. What started as a small ask for canned goods flourished into a deeper understanding of community needs, a strong sense of empathy for people who need help, and a sense of determination to continue to make the world a better place.
“This is such a strong, caring group of girls,” said Olivia. “I can’t wait to see what they do next.”
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