For Girl Scout Troop 40243, the relief efforts began by helping Girl Scout leader Kindra Chaney, whose house was unlivable after the storms.
“I couldn’t reach Kindra by phone, so I drove over there and when I pulled up the three other women in the driveway were Girl Scout leaders … it gave me chills,” Troop 40243 Leader Melissa Warner said in a press release.
In a phone interview, Warner said the troop bought and delivered groceries to Chaney, then volunteered at the Dalton Pike Distribution Center.
One of the other Girl Scout troops helped Chaney locate temporary housing, according to a press release.
While at the distribution location, the scouts sorted donations and helped distribute them to those who came.
Girl scout Jackie Southall said she wanted to be involved in the troop’s relief efforts to see what it would be like to help those recovering from the recent disaster. Volunteering with the girls from her troop made the project fun, Southall said.
Fellow scout Macey Lillard said she had talked to a man who had lost his 3-month-old child in the storms. This made her want to get involved.
“I wanted to start helping out and make a difference,” Lillard said.
Southall said when the girls were at the relief location, Warner assigned them to different stations. Her favorite part of volunteering was running up to cars as they pulled in and asking them what they needed. The girls then brought the supplies to the cars. While volunteering, the girls also listened to people telling what had happened to them
The troop also found other ways to contribute. The group donated school supplies and Girl Scout cookies to collection points.
The main reason Warner wanted her girls to participate in relief efforts was to show them that they can make a difference even at a young age, she said.
“Girl Scouts has always been about helping and community service,” Warner said.
When the troop showed up and started working, some of the children of volunteers became more involved also. Warner said that unfortunately sometimes children are overlooked when it comes to volunteering because people are not certain of what they could contribute.
