In keeping with the theme of service to others, Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia (GSHG) is undertaking a council-wide service project in celebration of Girl Scouts’ 110th anniversary.
GSHG knows that many of our communities are experiencing significant upticks in the local homeless population. While GSHG cannot solve the problem in a year, it can do something to help.
GSHG is proposing to assemble 110 hygiene kits for each of the 125 counties in its jurisdiction. That’s 13,750 hygiene kits! Every Girl Scout, alumnae, family and friend is invited to help and Girl Scout Troop 30197 of Guyton was up to the challenge.
The collection started July 16 when they went shopping to spend part of their cookie profits. They worked together to determine what was needed, how much they could buy and included taxes in their calculations! When determining which items to get, they looked at size, packaging, price and more, and discussed what would be best.
During the shopping trip, they encountered two random acts of kindness. First, after listening to the girls' discussions, a gentleman quietly handed their leader $20. He said he’s made donations in the past and wanted to give the girls a little something to help them give more.
Then a lady stopped by to talk with the girls. She loves Girl Scouts and talked with them about what they were doing and the badges they’d earned. A few minutes after she left, she returned and said, “It’s not much but here’s a little something to help you with your donations” as she handed them a gift card.
The leaders and girls do not know either of these kind people but Girl Scout Troop 30197 appreciates them. When the girls were asked, “What was your favorite part of today?” the interaction with these strangers and their generosity was at the top of the list.
On the afternoon of Aug. 20, the girls assembled 60 hygiene kits — each consisting of shampoo/conditioner, soap, razor, toothpaste, toothbrush and deodorant through the generosity of family and friends, and cookie profits.
Amber Hall attended the Packing Party and explained the importance of having a servant's heart and how everyone can step up to be kind to others. She also shared information on how the hygiene bags would be distributed and how the girls can offer more help in the future.
If you would like to help the Girl Scouts meet their goal of 13,750 hygiene kits, you may give items or kits to any Effingham Girl Scout or donate through this link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/.
