Ossining Girl Scouts Spread Holiday Cheer

The aroma of homemade pies, the sounds of youthful voices, and the colors of holiday gifts. That's what characterizes the holidays for Ossining Girl Scouts, whose members filled pie shells, collected fresh produce for the hungry, brought smiles to the faces of nursing home residents in our area, and shopped for grateful families in November and December.

Setting Up at the Farmer's Market

On November 11, several Ossining Girl Scout troops took shifts at the Ossining Farmer's Market to collect donations of fresh produce and breads. The donations were delivered to a soup kitchen run by the Loaves and Fish organization. It was a chilly day, but the girls and leaders persevered and collected a large number of contributions.

"The weather was a challenge, but the girls did great!" said Susan Traver, leader of Troop 1307, who coordinated the effort. "We packaged the items into individual bags, so everyone received a nice collection of veggies."

The Running of the Pies

Each November, Girl Scout troops all over town gather together to make pies to be distributed to clients of the Ossining Food Pantry. More than 200 pies were baked, packaged, frozen, and delivered — some with hand-written Thanksgiving greetings — on November 16. Troop 2295, whose girls are high school seniors this year, have collected the pies for years in the parking lot behind Trinity Church and run them down the stairs to the pantry. This year, their last, they handed the reins to Troop 1300, whose ninth graders will continue the tradition.

"It has been an honor to be part of something for the last five years that has benefited our community. It means so much that through Girl Scouts, our girls were able to be part of an amazing tradition between the Food Pantry and the entire Ossining Girl Scouts organization," said Liz Santiago, who leads Troop 2295 with Karen Kamp and Terri Saccente. "We are thrilled to hand this off to Troop 1300 for the next three years, and we know they will do a fantastic job."

Singing Out, Singing Strong

On December 13, Girl Scout troops of all ages fanned out to visit nursing homes and child care centers to sing holiday carols. For many residents of nursing homes, seeing new faces and hearing their voices brightens their days. Some troops made ornaments or small gifts for the residents they sang to. There were smiles all around — on the faces of the children and the older residents as well as the carolers.

Troop 2294, who are also high school seniors, sang carols for the last time at Sunshine Children's Home. "Bringing joy and smiles to the faces of the young children at Sunshine is the highlight of our Girl Scouting year," said Nancy Kress, who co-leads the troop with Kellie Ishmael. "This year was bittersweet, as our girls are graduating, and there were a few tears after we were done singing. Of all the Girl Scout events that we do, this one is our favorite."

From Our Family to Yours

Each year, public school social workers identify needy families who would enjoy some gifts under the tree for their children during the holiday season. Through Family to Family, Ossining Girl Scout troops are assigned a family (who remains anonymous to them), learning the children's ages, genders, clothing sizes, favorite colors, and toy preferences. The troops shop for their assigned children, wrap their gifts, and deliver them to the social workers the week before Christmas for distribution to the families.

"This year, Ossining Girl Scouts helped make the holidays a whole lot brighter for more than 65 kids in our community," said Jen Jones, a co-leader of Troop 2296, who has directed Family to Family for several years. "It is really special, and we know how much all the families appreciate our help!"

To learn more about Ossining Girl Scouts, visit ossininggirlscouts.org or the Ossining Girl Scouts Facebook page. Interested in joining or becoming a troop leader? Email join@ossininggirlscouts.org.