By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


Visitors of downtown Brighton will soon find a new free food pantry near a popular playground thanks to some thoughtful Girl Scouts.

The members of Junior Girl Scout Troop 40227 are earning their Bronze Awards Friday at the Imagination Station. Troop 40227 is made up of Aubrie Cauchon, Elizabeth Walters-Ricketts, Isabelle Friske, Kaitlyn Simon, Madalyn Simon, Madilyn St. Clair, and Torri Reseter.

This “Take Action Project” had the girls observe their community’s needs, choose a project to help that need, make a plan, and then put that plan in motion. The idea came to focus on local families and individuals that might need some help during these tough times. That’s when the idea of the free food pantry came into play. The team then got to work on fundraising and repurposing an old armoire with some added artistic flair. A team leader noted that one of the critical steps in the project was receiving permission on a location from the City of Brighton. Their main contact happened to be City Councilmember Renee Pettingill, who is a former Gold Award Girl Scout, herself. Getting the green light, the pantry will be located underneath the pavilion.

The Troop will complete the initial stocking of the pantry and monitor it through the remainder of the year. They hope to then begin a tradition of handing it down to a younger Girl Scout troop for care in January.

For more information, visit the Imagination Station Free Food Pantry page on Facebook. That link is below.



Photo - Back Row Standing (left to right): Madalyn Simon, Kaitlyn Simon, Madilyn St. Clair, Aubrie Cauchon

Front Kneeling (left to right): Torri Resetar, Elizabeth Walters-Ricketts

Missing: Isabelle Friske