By Kathy Chouteau
Ever wonder what happens to Girl Scouts’ cookie proceeds when all is said and done? Junior Girl Scout Troop 30993, with members from Richmond, El Sobrante and Pinole, recently used their cookie power to purchase supplies to build a “Take Some, Leave Some” food pantry for local people in need.
The troop’s food pantry project saw nine 5th graders mobilize on the project toward earning their Bronze Award, a major Scout achievement with the overriding mission of making a lasting impact in the community. On Tuesday, May 13, the girls’ collective work culminated in the Grand Opening of their food pantry at the Moose Lodge in El Sobrante, attended by troop members, their partner Brownie troop, family, friends, County Supervisor John Gioia, Girl Scouts of Northern California President Mary-Jane Strom and Richmond City Councilmember Soheila Bana.
Alison DeJung, mother of one of the Scouts, said the Bronze Award “is one of the highest awards that the Girl Scouts can achieve,” and recounted how the girls were tasked with thinking over the summer about what project they wanted to do to make a lasting impact on the community. When the Junior Girl Scout season started—roughly in unison with the school year—they brought their ideas to the table and voted to pursue the food pantry project.
DeJung said that the project is a collective effort with each Scout committed to working at least 20 hours on it; she proudly noted that some troop members spent approximately 30 hours per person on it, and together, around 230 hours.
The girls are featuring nonperishable food items in their pantry, such as water, canned foods and energy and granola bars, with the approach that people can take what they need, while other community members continually donate to refill it.
The Junior Girl Scouts made flyers and distributed them to spread the word about the food pantry, and have supplies in their Scout House to make sure it gets off to a good start. DeJung explained that last year, the Moose Lodge in El Sobrante gifted a portable building there for the Scouts to use as their Scout House and they refurbished it together in partnership. The girls built and added the new, wooden food pantry outside the front of the lodge, near the street.
“I’m really proud of the girls…it required a lot of time and effort,” said DeJung, who noted that the troop worked on the food pantry project for about eight or nine months, including a few weekends. She said they were really challenged by their troop leaders in the independence and leadership they exhibited to see the project through to completion.
To support the Take Some, Leave Some food pantry, visit it outside the Moose Lodge at 4660 Appian Way in El Sobrante.
