girl scouts of the colonial coast
Megan Gillespie has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the
highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouts.
Megan is a girl on a mission. She wanted to assist the
homeless and less-fortunate members of her community in living a healthier
lifestyle. With the help of the Williamsburg House of Mercy in Williamsburg,
VA, and her local church, her mission was made possible. Gillespie created a
garden which produced food that was later given out to feed the homeless at the
Williamsburg House of Mercy.
“The root cause of the homeless population not having
access to fresh vegetables is that they are looking for ways in which they are
able to ‘get by,’ versus what is most beneficial for their health,” she said. “By
providing fresh vegetables to the homeless in the greater Williamsburg area, we
are assisting in reducing hunger within our community, and in a small way, the
world.”
Her project will be sustained with the help of the ministry
she led during her project. She was able to encourage more than 35 people to
join the ministry as members. It was Megan’s goal to have a large group of
people to get involved in the beginning stages of the ministry so the services
could be continued even after her Gold Award was complete. She showed the
members how to run meetings, select crops to be planted, care for the garden
and how to harvest.
The garden was a success! Megan reported that the garden
yielded enough crops to continuously make donations to the House of Mercy. The
recipients of the vegetables were grateful for what Megan was able to provide
for them.
“Not only was the tangible product very fruitful, but the
garden construction is reflective of what the Girl Scout organization and Saint
Bede embody: innovation, beauty, intelligence and care,” she said.
