Girl Scouts in the Appleton Region Gather Food and Give Back to their Communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Girl Scouts are taking action to fight hunger and food insecurity in their communities through creative and heartfelt food donation projects.

Appleton, Wisconsin – December 2025 – This November, five Girl Scout troops from the Appleton Region recently organized food drives and service activities that embody the Girl Scout mission to make the world a better place. From preparing Thanksgiving meal bags to hosting holiday events, these girls are learning that even small acts of kindness can have a lasting impact.

Troop 2471 is a 10th-grade Senior Girl Scout troop from Appleton that is combining service and celebration! These Girl Scouts are partnering with the ESTHER Foundation to host a food/hygiene drive and a holiday cookie-decorating event. It takes place this Saturday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, 4693 North Lynndale Drive, Appleton. They are inviting local Girl Scouts and the community to join them in decorating cookies and asking participants to bring shelf-stable, unexpired, unopened ready-to-eat items or new, unopened personal hygiene products. Girl Scouts are looking to fill the Hope Fridges in Menasha and Oshkosh with holiday cookies and donate to local service organizations. They plan to serve a meal at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen this spring. “Our goal is to bring people together and spread kindness through every season,” said Troop Leader Amanda Johnson.

A first-grade Daisy troop in Appleton, Troop 2496, put together 24 bags of Thanksgiving side dishes for Hope Fridge, helping ensure that local families had a meaningful holiday meal. “Our girls had so much fun sorting the food, placing it in bags, and knowing it's going to support those in need,” said Troop Leader Asia Frayne.

Troop 2182, a multi-level Daisy and Brownie troop from Menasha, decided to use proceeds from their Girl Scout Cookie Program to support the St. Joseph’s Food Program in Menasha. The girls created a shopping list and budget with their volunteer troop leaders and planned a shopping day at a local Walmart. When Walmart employees learned about the troop’s efforts, they surprised the girls by covering the entire grocery bill, allowing the troop to double their donation. “We talked about it as a troop and chose to use the money then to buy Thanksgiving family meals through St. Joseph’s Pass a Plate Program,” said Troop Leader Nicole Korn. “We were so glad Walmart helped our troop donate.”

A combined Daisy and Brownie Appleton troop, Troop 2320, collected more than 200 pounds of food this spring through a friends-and-family food drive. The girls delivered their donations to St. Joe’s Food Pantry, toured the facility, and even helped sort donations firsthand. “It was an incredible learning experience,” said Troop Leader Amber Sprangers. “The girls saw the direct impact of their generosity.”

Troop 2277, a 4th-grade Junior troop, recently made 49 bagged lunches for Hope Fridge and took time to clean and sanitize the refrigerator to ensure it’s ready for community use. “Their enthusiasm for helping others shines through everything they do,” said Troop Leader Jennifer Cormier.

“Girl Scouts lead with courage, confidence, and character, and the girls and volunteers in these troops are out there every day showing what that looks like by taking action in their own communities,” said Maurine Michaud, Membership Engagement Coordinator at Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes. “They are making a real difference for families in a time when there is so much uncertainty.”

Girl Scout food drives, take action, and service projects are ongoing reflections of their mission to make the world a better place, and they invite the community to join them in supporting and caring for one another.

###

Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes (GSNWGL) partners with 5,000 volunteers and serves approximately 10,000 girls across 58 counties in northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. For more information on how to join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, call 888.747.6945 or visit gsnwgl.org. GSNWGL is a proud United Way partner program.

We Are Girl Scouts 

Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike, or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them.