Grove City Middle School donating unused food to pantry
Two years ago, after returning home from a trip she won to the White House, Hannah Foley was motivated to make a difference. While at the Kids State Dinner, she learned about food waste.
Two years ago, after returning home from a trip she won to the White House, Hannah Foley was motivated to make a difference. While at the Kids State Dinner, she learned about food waste. She later convinced members of her Girl Scout Troop to come up with a plan to reduce it at their school.
"We weighed garbage. We took the garbage bags from the cafeteria and we put them on the scale and then we weighed them and it was like thousands of pounds of garbage from one week and then there was like eight pounds of recycling," said Grove City Middle School student Hannah Foley.
So, at the beginning of the year things changed at Grove City Middle School. Instead of tossing out un-eaten meals, the food service workers pack them up. Students also are encouraged to return their un-opened drinks and fruits cups. All of the items are then picked up once a week and handed out at the Grove City Commuity Food Pantry.
"That makes me feel great knowing people can have food," said Grove City Middle School student Emma Uber.
"The effort and work that they put into this should be really commended and it is all about their efforts to do good," said principal Larry Connelly.
Since partnering with the middle school, the Grove City Community Food Pantry has saved thousands of dollars a month. They no longer need to buy extra food to complete their bag giveaways, which help feed roughly 300 people.
"This is part of it being a community food pantry, how the community gets involved. This is how it works. These girls are a prime example on how to make a difference in the world," said Traci Turner with the Grove City Community Food Pantry.
The troop's effort haven't gone unnoticed. The Girl Scouts of the USA has awarded each of the nine girls its top cadete-level honor, the Silver Award.
