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Community Corner

Granby Girl Scout Troop Provides "Birthday in a Bag" for Food Bank Recipients

Who doesn't enjoy celebrating a birthday? After touring the Farmington Valley VNA's Granby Food Bank Program, the members of Granby's Girl Scout Troop 66475 decided to create a "Birthday in a Bag" for those who utilize the program for supplemental nutritional assistance, so that all participants could celebrate a special occasion with their family.

Under the guidance of Troop Leader Tanya Maher, the group of fourth and fifth-grade girls followed Girl Scout criteria and guidelines for the Bronze Award, which tasks scouts with spending approximately twenty hours each on an endeavor that will make a positive difference in their community. The Bronze Award is the highest honor available to Girl Scout Juniors.

The troop members applied project management principles to brainstorm ideas and determine the scope of the project, the desired outcome, and required supplies, and to establish a timeline, communication plan, and measures of success. Their communication plan required them to speak with business managers, store owners, school principals and newspaper reporters to garner support for the project. Four Granby schools and five area businesses served as collection sites for donations of cake mixes, icing, candles, paper goods, gift bags and other party-related items.

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Their initial goal was to collect enough items to create 35 "Birthday in a Bag" gifts. On March 26, 54 festive party bags were delivered to the Granby Food Bank Program, along with additional donations of cake mix, party supplies, cupcake liners and wrapped gifts for children of specific ages. Each bag was numbered to correspond with a detailed list highlighting the contents of each bag and included a handmade "Happy Birthday" card signed by Troop 66475.

"We were very impressed with the obvious time and detail the girls spent on collecting donations and assembling each bag," praised Amanda Neal, Manager of the Farmington Valley VNA's Community Programs Department, which manages the Granby Food Bank Program. "Although baking items are offered when available, the birthday bags will be a real treat for those who participate in the Granby Food Bank Program. Congratulations to Troop 66475 for their outstanding work in creating a project that will touch so many lives."

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