Girl Scouts collect thousands of donations to benefit teens in need at MTHS

Homeless and low-income high school students at Mountlake Terrace High School will have the supplies they need to attend school ready to learn, thanks to the work of three local Girl Scouts.

Braunté Beeks, 13, Emily Goergen, 13, and Sophie Mazzarella, 14, learned that students who don’t have sufficient food, appropriate clothing, age-appropriate toiletries and school supplies tend to miss more school days and struggle with subjects. The three girls are all from Girl Scout Cadette Troop 41002, which is based in Edmonds and has troop members in Edmonds, Lynnwood and Shoreline. The girls are going into eighth and ninth grade.

After hearing about the hardships of others, the trio decided to help.

The Girl Scouts took on the challenge of building a supply cupboard for homeless and low income high school students at Mountlake Terrace High School. Thanks to the generosity of the local community, the Girl Scouts exceeded the request list provided by the school.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled. This is an extremely helpful donation,” said Ashley Dawson, a Mountlake Terrace High School social worker. “When students don’t have the basic things they need to feel comfortable at school — appropriate clothes for P.E., school supplies or toiletries — they may feel awkward or reluctant to participate. The last thing we want is for a lack of resources to stand in the way of our students’ success. These Girl Scouts have made sure that many of our students have the supplies they need to start the year without these barriers.”

The three Girl Scout organizers received thousands of donated items, including:

• 1,034 non-perishable food items
• 653 articles of clothing
• 1,175 school supply items
• 1,405 toiletry items

The Girl Scouts provided the donated items to the Counseling Department at Mountlake Terrace High School, which will distribute the items at the beginning of the school year and as needed throughout the year. Girl Scout Troop 41002 collaborated with Washington Kids in Transition, who has agreed to sustain the project by replenishing the supplies after this initial stocking of supplies is gone.

The Scouts estimate that the value of goods donated by these organizations and individuals across our community is about $5,000.

This project is part of an effort by the three organizers to earn their Girl Scout Silver Award, which is the second highest earned award a Girl Scout can earn, and the highest earned award a Girl Scout can earn in their age group. The girls have worked on this project for several months and say they are excited about the impact this project will have on students.