Wish I’d Had Some Girl Scout Cookies

Written by Rowonna McNeely – Many of you probably remember that just a couple of months ago; the Girls Scouts were out and about selling Girl Scout cookies. Thank you again to all of those that supported our girls during that time. Some of you may not know what happens with the money that is raised from cookie sales.

Our troop uses the money in several different ways. One of these is that we pick local organizations that we can help and donate items that would benefit them. For example, last week we donated over 30 care packages to the Heart of Texas Children’s Advocacy Center.

Now, that sounds like a great gesture. But, what you don’t see is what goes on behind the scenes of these donations. Our girls are involved all the way through the process. Sarah, our troop leader, took several of the older Girl Scouts to local stores and they did the shopping for all the items that were placed in the care packages.

From there, we set the little ‘mini mart’ up in her living room. This involved 3 tables of combs, brushes, hair gel, toothbrushes, towels, crayons, coloring books, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, chap stick, loofahs, hair accessories, hand sanitizer, body spray and more.

We then turned each girl loose with a boy or girl backpack. They filled the packs with each of the items. Sounds simple, right? No. No. It’s total chaos. But, it’s great chaos.

Once the packs were filled, they helped carry them out to the car to deliver the next day.

This week, Sarah contacted me along with the other parents to let us know that some of the younger Girl Scouts could go on the shopping expedition for our next donation.

Monday morning rolled around and I informed Kiera that I would pick her up from school so she could attend her dance class and from there we were meeting Mrs. Sarah, Addy and some of the other girls to shop for the animal shelter.

I learned a lesson from all this. It is very crucial to feed my child in between one of these Monday afternoon activities. My child gets tired and hangry if not given a snack. For those not familiar with the term ‘hangry’, it means when you are hungry you get a little cranky…or angry. Add in being tired and heaven help you.

Kiera was in a great mood after school. She was excited for dance and finished out the class the same way. Well, she was getting a little cranky, but I assumed that once she saw her friend, Addy, she would be great.

We picked Aaron up from work and headed to the first store to shop. Once there, we split up and tackled the list that Corinne T. Smith Animal Center had supplied us with.  Kiera, Addy and I went to search for dog toys and collars. It was after the second trip to the sale section of dog toys that my child began to show the effects of being hangry. Aaron took her to the side and reminded her that she needed to be on her best behavior.

When she returned, Addy and I had moved to the collars. Kiera went to slide behind Addy’s chair and managed to bump her shoulder into a dog kennel. That was the end. She melted. Big tears and crying commenced. I was hoping Sarah was having better luck with her group.

I managed to console Kiera and calm her down to the occasional whimper. We finished our shopping and paid out, ready to conquer the next store.

By the time, we reached our next destination; Kiera had calmed down considerably and was ready to do some more shopping. This time we did not split up. We grabbed two baskets and headed to the pet section.

We found a sale section on pet toys and turned the girls loose to choose what they thought the animals would want. Guess what wonderful toys reside in the bargain bin? You guessed it. Squeaky toys! Did you know that not all squeaky toys sound the same? They don’t. Some are high pitched while others make…interesting noises.

Turn four girls loose with squeaky toys and you are clearing out the aisle of innocent bystanders. We finally managed to get the toys picked out and the rest of the items in the basket. We even made it to the checkout with only one person being run over with a basket. Thankfully, it was just Sarah.

It was a memorable experience. Not because Kiera melted in a store or because there was a cacophony of squeaky toys. It is memorable because the girls were able to do something good for others. They will remember the trips to the stores where they had mostly free reign of items to buy to give to others.

Next week, we will make the trek to the animal shelter and take all the items that we purchased. They will tour the facility and see how they are helping.

This is all in part because of your purchase of a box of cookies. So here’s another thank you from a mom of a Girl Scout. Thanks for helping us help others while teaching our girls these valuable lessons.

Now, I am off to put snacks in the truck for next week and hopefully fend off any ‘hangry’ attacks.