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Community Service

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Community Service and Take Action Projects: What’s the Difference?

As Girl Scouts, we promise to “help people at all times” and “make the world a better place.” Our Movement has a rich history of empowering girls to serve and improve their communities. Since 1912, Girl Scouts have led the way on issues like hunger, homelessness, animal welfare, environmental protection, and more.

Is your Girl Scout or troop eager to find ways to better their community? Explore our resources below to encourage your girls to harness that spirit of goodwill and bring their charitable intentions to life!


Getting Started

Consider the ages of the girls, the number of girls and the size of the project to ensure success. Look around your school, community, house of worship, parks, etc. to brainstorm projects that will help make those places better for people and the environment.

Community Service Ideas
  • Volunteer to serve food at a soup kitchen at a time other than the holidays—people are hungry all year long.
  • Stock food and pack food boxes at a food bank.
  • Perform a skit, a play or show at a nursing home or hospital.
  • Teach crafts or organize the residents of a nursing home who can knit or crochet to make blankets for children at a crisis nursery.
  • Record tapes or video for young children. Donate to the library or a preschool.
  • Volunteer at the library or local school to help promote literacy.
  • Do yard work or housework for the elderly.
  • Plan an outing for the residents of a nursing home—the zoo, a park, a movie, miniature golf or anything fun and unusual.
  • Learn about bicycle safety and share the information with younger girls.
  • Perform flag ceremonies for PTA/PTO meetings or other school events.
  • Contact local nursing homes, shelters, food banks, schools, local governments, parks, zoos, crisis nurseries, day care programs, domestic violence shelters or other creative locations and ask how girls can best share their time and skills with the organization or community.
Service Projects at Your Troop Meeting
  • Tray favors for the hospital, holiday crafts, or create something on your own.
  • Coloring books for the pediatric ward, the crisis nursery, a preschool or Daisy Girl Scouts.
  • Bookmarks for the library or teachers at your school.
  • Cookies for election workers, firefighters, police officers, sheriff's officers or the nurse's station at a hospital.
  • Bibs for nursing homes or hospital children's wards.
  • "Boo bunnies" for Easter or spring. Give them to a crisis nursery for children.
  • Bird feeders for nursing home residents. Maintain and fill them on a regular basis.
Drives
  • Collect food to help people in need in your area. Distribute bags around the community or in your school. Set a date to pick them up and donate them to a food bank. Food banks need any non-perishable foods, especially protein foods like tuna, peanut butter, stews, chili and chunky soups. Some groups distribute items like baby food and diapers, soap, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper and other hygiene items.
  • Collect, launder and repair clothing, then donate it to a nonprofit organization for distribution.
  • Collect material and assemble personal care kits using shoeboxes for women staying at a local domestic violence shelter. Be sure to include items like toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, brush and feminine items like perfume.
  • Put together children's kits for shelters, crisis nurseries and/or foster homes. Include personal care items, a washcloth and towel, crayons, coloring books and other items children would enjoy.
Plants & Gardening
  • Plant trees, flowers, bulbs or bushes at a local park or school.
  • Start a garden to grow food as a community project - invite community members to assist and share the harvest.
  • Make window boxes, plant flowers and maintain them for shut-ins or a nursing home.
  • Grow flowers and make corsages or boutonnieres for the teachers at the schools in your neighborhood. You can also share these with nursing home residents, hospital patients, and public service representatives like firefighters or police officers.
  • Conduct a clean-up day at your school. Plant a community garden with younger girls; teach them about plants, soil and harvesting.
Adopt A...
  • Grandparent from a retirement home. Send them cards on holidays. Visit them on a regular basis. Plan outings, card parties, make gifts, take pictures and make a wall display for their room.
  • Family in need at the holidays, and at other times too. Provide clothes, food and hygiene items. Bake cookies and write letters.
  • Younger child at school. Offer to help tutor, mentor and read stories with them.


Connect with the Community

Many Southern Arizona organizations are open to Girl Scout volunteers! Keep in mind that some projects are limited by the age of the volunteer;  it is a good idea to contact organizations ahead of time to be sure girls are old enough to participate.

Local Agencies & Organizations


Girl Volunteer Corps

Girl Volunteer Corps is Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona's exclusive volunteer service club for middle- and high-school girls. Together, girls take action on the local issues they care about through hands-on service projects that they choose, plan, and lead together. 

All girls in grades 6 through 12 can join Girl Volunteer Corps (GVC), which has three chapters located in Pima, Cochise, and Yuma Counties. Girls who are not currently members of Girl Scouts are welcome to register exclusively as a member of GVC. Likewise, current Girl Scouts are able to sign up for GVC independently or together with their troops.

Check out our Event Calendar every month to see community service opportunities with Girl Volunteer Corps! 

Stay up-to-date on opportunities for tween and teen Girl Scouts, including GVC events, through our Older Girls Facebook group. It's a powerful way for Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scouts to make a difference in their community while meeting new friends and having fun!