Girl Scouts create pink food pantries
Bona Vista the first host of Troop 4199’s mission to fight food insecurity
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Bona Vista Programs, a DSI partner, has partnered with local Girl Scout Troop 4119 to provide a convenient location for a community food pantry. The pink food pantry, provided by the local Girl Scout troop, is located on the west side of Bona Vista’s 1220 E. Laguna St. location. This food pantry is available for anyone in need or anyone looking to donate food for those in need.
Kokomo Girl Scout troop 4119 has six Cadette Girl Scouts in 8th and 9th grade who are working on earning their Silver Award. Their paperwork has been submitted, and they are waiting for their approval letters.
The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout their age level can earn. It's an award that requires a minimum of 50 hours of work focused in the community on an important issue that is also a global problem. Food insecurity affects the world, and that is what the girls are trying to help change in Kokomo.
The Cadette Girl Scouts from Troop 4119 include: Miley Bradley (Northwestern); Jess Edwards (Northwestern); Zoie Schieffer (Northwestern); Millie Shotwell (Northwestern); Keeley Taylor (Northwestern); and Josie Tygart (Kokomo).
“For years, their troop has been going around, helping to fill the little food pantries that are up throughout Kokomo, mostly in neighborhoods,” said Troop 4119 Leader Cindy Edwards. “Over time, these little pantries were getting harder to find, and most are now nonexistent. Plus, nobody knew the exact locations of these little pantries.
“They wanted to change that and knew that this would help so many families and hopefully spread to more and more new little pantries being made to help those in need.”
Last January, the girls were working on their Democracy badge when this topic came up again. City Councilwoman-at-Large Kara Kitts-McKibben was a guest speaker who mentioned what a great idea the little pantry was and the possibility of receiving grant money to help through the city's Block Grant, with the Department of Development. She mentioned that it was a huge need for Kokomo, and the city was working on ways to address it as well.
The girls wrote their proposal, attended the February meeting, and presented it. In March, the girls found out they had received the money they requested by a unanimous vote. Peter Shah, Department of Development, was a huge help to the group throughout this process, along with Kitts-McKibben.
Once they received the grant money, Glenn Bradley, father of troop member Miley, was responsible for helping the girls build their three pantries. As the project advisor, he was with the troop the entire time to help teach the girls every part of building and using their tools. Then it was time to place the pantries.
“Bona Vista was a location most girls had on their list,” said Edwards. “(Bona Vista director) Brianne Boles has been so wonderful to allow their first pantry to be located on their grounds. The girls are so excited for the location, and it has already seen success since it was placed on Sept. 30.”
The second pantry location has been delayed because of logistics, and they're still trying to find a good home for their third on the north side of Kokomo.
“They worked so hard in every part of this process and know they alone can't solve food insecurity, but they hope their pantries will make some impact in Kokomo,” said Edwards. “In Girl Scouts, girls want to make the world a better place, and that's just what these girls are doing.”