Quick Look Back at the Weekend

Okay, I didn't have a camera this weekend, and I didn't have a chance to blog until now, but I did want to mention the most inspiring thing that happened: pick up day for April Showers. It's a Girl Scout program that distributes bags to houses one weekend, then comes back the next weekend to pick up the bags that have been filled with personal care items -- you know, that stuff that SNAP (food stamps) can't purchase but you will be judged harshly if you don't own and use, like soap, toothbrush, deodorant, combs, etc.

So, Saturday was windy and cold, and it was pick up day. Yeesh. We went around our assigned neighborhoods, picked up all the bags full of stuff (some people included food). Went to someone's garage, out of the wind, to mark out UPC codes and count how many items we picked up (Juniors got over 400 items, Seniors had over 1000). Then took them to a shopping center where I saw the most amazing sight of the weekend -- out in the cold and wind, dozens and dozens of Girl Scouts and adults sorting thousands of items into packing boxes (supplied, I assume, by Allied van lines) and then loading the boxes into Allied moving trucks. Wow. Y'all, the weather was crappy, and these people definitely had more appealing things to do with their time.

IT WAS SO COOL to see so many people (and corporations) work on this.

Thalia ended up spending most of the day on this project, both picking up bags and sorting paper products (you can't buy toilet paper with food stamps). Admittedly, though, she still felt energetic enough that night to go to SLUH's one act plays (SLUH is St. Louis Univ. High School -- the same place that she went to the dance a couple of weeks ago -- apparently hanging out with the SLUH crowd is becoming a regular thing)

I know I complain about Girl Scouts a lot -- many, many MANY things the organization does drive me crazy. But this was a shining moment for our Council, something they get right.