The motto of the Girls Scouts of America (GSA) is “Do a Good Turn Daily.” The GSA believes that “Every girl [no matter how young she is] can do something to make the world a better place.”
Co-leaders Stacie Garrett and Nikki Mott are putting these beliefs into practice with their second grade Brownies. The troop, made up of eleven girls, has donated $200 to Operation HeartF.E.L.T. This represents over 10% of the proceeds from their 2016 Girl Scout Cookie sales.
Operation HeartF.E.L.T., a local 501(c) 3 non-profit organization gives backpacks full of non-perishable food to public school students every Friday. These represent a weekend’s worth of simple meals and snacks for children who might not otherwise have enough to eat.
Rick Garrett, an accountant with Creative Environmental Solutions and volunteer chairman of the board of Operation HeartF.E.L.T. (Feeding Empty Little Tummies) states, “We are in about twelve of the twenty-three schools in Hernando County. We try to make the process very simple so that as many schools as possible can participate.”
In the three years since the founding of Operation HeartF.E.L.T. , the organization’s reach has increased tremendously.
Garrett continues, “In 2015 we distributed 45,000 meals; in 2016 it was 55,000. By the end of this year we will be up to 100,000 meals.”
Operation HeartF.E.L. T. receives no government funding but instead relies on contributions from individuals, businesses and organizations. They purchase the food from local grocery stores.
Hardly any red tape or paperwork is required from the schools and families that participate. The organization coordinates with school staff who know which children are in need.
Rick explains, “We don’t ask the parents’ financial status or any other personal information. We say to the teacher, ‘If you feel this child is not eating well enough to be able to come to school on Monday and pay attention, ask if it’s okay to send a backpack home with them.’ We don’t ask for the parent’s name or how many children are in the family. The parents don’t have to fill out anything.”
Ms. J.B. Dill is a Title 1 Facilitator at Explorer K-8. Title 1 is a federal government program that provides assistance to local schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families.
She states, “When I worked at Hernando High School we had the program there. After starting my position at Explorer K-8 I looked into getting the program there. I called Operation Heart F.E.L.T. and they came that same week. By Friday we had the backpacks. I started with seventeen that first week and now we’re up to fifty-nine backpacks.”
In order to help replenish their “pantry,” the organization has launched its “20,000 Hearts” food drive. Any business, organization or grocery store can set up a specially marked bin at their location. People can drop non-perishable food items in one of these bins.
The preparation of the backpacks takes place at Operation HeartF.E.L.T.’s warehouse during the week. There they store boxes of macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, tomato sauce, bread, peanut butter, jelly and other ingredients to make a complete meal. Instant oatmeal and various other items complement the assortment – enough to provide six meals and snacks for the weekend.
On Thursday, April 6, the Brownie troop and their leaders were there to help fill the backpacks. This represented the second time the girls had done this as part of earning their Community Service badge. The excitement they displayed and the fun they were having showed that they were really enjoying themselves. At the end of the evening, they presented the $200 check to Rick.
For more information on locations of the food drive bins, how you can volunteer or make a monetary donation to Operation HeartF.E.L.T. go to www.operationheartfelt.com