Girl Scouts handed out raindrops to Wal-Mart customers on Saturday, asking them to shower the community with personal care items. April Showers is an annual community event hosted by Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri (GSEM) that collects donated personal care items to be distributed to local food shelters and families in need. This year, in honor of the centennial and in an effort to set a Guinness World Record, the organization hopes to collect more than one million personal care items.
All day long, customers exited the Maplewood Wal-Mart store with extra items to give to Girl Scouts for the annual personal care item drive. Launched in 1998, this community wide event continues to be a cornerstone for local shelters families in need. Personal care items like toothpaste, soap and shampoo cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) but are equally important.
"Food pantries don't always have items like the ones we're collecting," said Ginger LaMore, 14. "People need things like toothpaste and soap so they can feel proud of how they look and do well in school and at job interviews. I think they're really thankful for what we do to help them."
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Girl Scouts have been distributing bags on the doors of homes all weekend and will continue through Sunday. Residents have until April 28 to fill their bags with the listed items. Residents who do not receive a bag on their door and did not attend the Showering the Community event have the option to purchase pre-packaged bags from their local Schnucks or Dierbergs until April 28. Those who are unable to participate or forget to donate during the week of the event may drop off items to any Dierbergs market through May 6.