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Girl Scout Troop 4486 helps to feed pets of needy and disabled people
By Lynne Marsala Basche; photo courtesy of Christy McDonald
For more than 100 years, girl scouting has taught girls, in part, about making the world a better place. Under the guidance of co-leaders Brenda Ferguson and Trina Wegner, and assistant leader Christy McDonald, Girl Scout Troop 4486 did just that for the local senior citizen community and their beloved pets.
The third graders in Girl Scout Troop 4486 worked with The Senior Hub on the 2012 Season of Suppers Holiday Pet Food Distribution drive for their community service project. The goal was simple — help feed pets of needy and disabled senior citizens throughout the Denver metro area. “Our girl scout troop did the pet food drive because our Troop wanted to help pets, so we decided the best way to help needy pets was to help the elderly feed their pets when they couldn’t afford it,” said Julia McDonald, age 8. The girls created and distributed flyers, promoted Season of Suppers, and collected the donated pet food and treats.
When Season of Suppers was over, Troop 4486 collected more than 400 pounds of pet food and treats. The final count is still being tallied, but The Senior Hub estimates that at least 35 seniors and 70 – 80 cats and dogs benefitted from troop 4486’s dedication to their community. This is a considerable increase from when the program started four years ago and only 10 – 15 seniors and their pets were program recipients.
The Senior Hub declared the 2012 Season of Suppers drive a phenomenal success and received multiple calls from recipients, saying how touched they were to be remembered during the holidays, especially those whose only family member is their pet. Way to go, girls!
