Girl Scouts think outside the (cookie) box

What's tastier than a thin mint or a tagalong cookie? Twelve Cadet Girl Scouts in Indiana know it's non-perishable food for hungry families. Troop 69-279 wants to reduce hunger in its hometown of Ellettsville. After collecting 5,000 food items for the local Methodist church, the Scouts ran out of storage space so they decided to launch a food pantry. Their troop leader warned the project might be "too big" but the girls, ages 11-15, found space at the Lutheran church. A local business gave them an $800 grant to build and stock the pantry. Lowe's offered shelving material at cost, and the community could hardly wait. "The first day when we were building things, we had people ask if we were open," said Cadet Ashley Burris. Last month they passed inspection to become the newest member of the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, affiliated with Feeding America.

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The pantry is open nine hours a week, around the girls' school schedules. Scouts keep track of donations and purchases, sort the food, and stock the shelves.  Items most in demand are sugar, flour, canned meat, tuna, fruit, soup and drinks. To help with a monetary donation, call 812-606-1524.

How did it feel to give food to 33 needy people during the pantry's first week? Cadet Rowan Haverfield told the Herald-Times, "You get that little joy of, oh, I just helped someone."