Known for their delicious cookies and local volunteering, Girl Scouts’ members work with their community to make a difference. While the organization has suspended all its in-person activities amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, including Girl Scout Cookie Booths, it has announced new online resources. Last month, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) launched two initiatives to support girls and communities in need due to hardships resulting from COVID-19.
While selling their popular cookies in person is no longer an option due to safety, the cookies won’t be going to waste. The organization’s online campaign, Girl Scouts Cookie Care, allows cookie lovers to both order and donate cookies online. According to a Girl Scouts spokesperson, “a little more than 1 out of every 10 packages sold are being donated,” CNN reported. In addition to this online tool, many local Girl Scout troops are donating unsold cookies to EMS workers, doctors, nurses, and local cops working on the front line during this crisis in a project called Hometown Heroes.
In New York City alone, more than 60,000 boxes of cookies have been donated from the Girl Scouts of Greater New York council, CNN reported. The donated cookies are being distributed amongst grocery packages for healthcare workers and their families.
“For 108 years, Girl Scouts has been there in times of crisis and turmoil,” Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, said. “And today we are stepping forward with new initiatives to help girls, their families, and consumers connect, explore, find comfort, and take action.” The initiative Girl Scouts at Home is an online platform that allows girls and families to access free self-guided activities. The resource is available to anyone, not just Girl Scout members, the organization said in a press release.
Not only are Girl Scouts donating cookies and offering online resources—the organization is using its notable award projects to encourage members to learn how to sew masks. Due to the national mask shortages during the pandemic, the Girls Scouts council is creating a group Bronze Award project for juniors to sew masks, Girl Scouts spokesperson Valerie Geiss told CNN. For safety and in accordance with the social distancing measures in place, the team will meet virtually and work on the masks individually. Local Girl Scout troops across the country have already donated thousands of masks to local pharmacies and healthcare facilities.
This isn’t the first pandemic during which Girl Scouts members showed their support for the community. Outside of empowering women and girls, the organization is rooted in helping those in need. This is proven through its history of helping others since its inception. “Whether it was in the First World War or making sure that clothing and supplies got to the people that needed it, whether it was during the suffrage movement, whether it was in World War II, Girl Scouts have always figured out, how can we help others in need? How do we make the world a better place?” Acevedo told CNN.
From the Spanish flu to the Great Depression, Girl Scouts have helped with providing meals to those in need and have collected food and care packages to donate to families for years. The organization has launched a variety of programs including teaching women survival and technical skills through and after global hardships like war. The Girl Scouts are setting a good example for generations to come by showing that giving back to the community can start at any age. By encouraging troops to learn skills that will help better society and empower those in need, Girl Scouts are building the leaders of tomorrow.
