For Immediate Release
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
TODAY and Tomorrow, Wed., 3/6-Thurs., 3/7 (Previously rescheduled due to inclement weather)
Local Girl Scouts Have a Sweet Spot for Portland-Metro Seniors -- Customers Donate Cookies through "Gift of Caring" (Photo)
Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington Media Contacts
Sarah Shipe, Director of Communications
(503) 977-6861, Office | 503-930-5275, Cell | sshipe@girlscoutsosw.org
Maureen A. Kenney, Public Relations and Advocacy Manager
(503) 977-6817, Office | mkenney@girlscoutsosw.org
Meals on Wheels People Media Contact
Julie Piper Finley, ABC, Director of Marketing & Communications
(503) 953-8136, Office | (503) 318-1362, Cell
Girl Scouts of Oregon and SW WA Have a Sweet Spot for Portland-Metro Seniors
Customers Donate Cookies through Girl Scouts’ Gift of Caring Program and Local Girl Scouts Serve Seniors
PORTLAND, OR. – March 6, 2019
Wednesday, March 6, and Thursday, March 7, local Girl Scouts will take to senior dining rooms in Beaverton, Southeast Portland and Hillsboro to share their famed cookies and spread cheer among older adults from the Portland metro area. The activity is part of a larger distribution of donated Girl Scout Cookies made possible through Girl Scouts’ “Gift of Caring” program and a longstanding community partnership between Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington (GSOSW) and Meals on Wheels People.
“Major tenets of Girl Scouting include giving back to the community and making the world a better place,” says Karen Hill, GSOSW’s CEO. “We’re delighted that local Girl Scouts are spreading cheer and practicing people skills as they visit with elders in their communities.”
Overall, GSOSW will donate approximately 12,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to homebound elderly and people in need throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. The longstanding tradition with Meals on Wheels People is a bright spot for so many older adults throughout the Portland metro area.
“We are thrilled to receive this donation of cookies from Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington,” said Meals on Wheels People Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Washington. “Our participants, many of whom are unable to leave their homes, do not have the opportunity to purchase these cookies and love to receive them as part of their daily meal. We will put these to good use in the more than 5,000 meals we serve and deliver every weekday.”
MEDIA OPPORTUNITY
Who | What: Girl Scouts and volunteers from Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington will serve Girl Scout Cookies to seniors from the Portland metro area at three (3) Meal on Wheels People community dining rooms located in Beaverton, Southeast Portland and Hillsboro.
Where: Meals on Wheels People Community Dining Rooms (3): located in Beaverton and Southeast Portland and Hillsboro
Media Opportunities (1-2 of 3): Wednesday, March 6, 2019, 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (RESCHEDULED DATE)
- Beaverton Center, https://www.mowp.org/dining-center-locati…/beaverton-center/, located at 5550 SW Hall Blvd Beaverton OR 97005 [#100-to-#150 senior diners expected]
- Cherry Blossom Center (Southeast Portland), https://www.mowp.org/dining-center-l…/cherry-blossom-center/, located at 740 SE 106th Avenue Portland OR 97216 [#100-to-#150 senior diners expected]
Media Opportunity (3 of 3): Thursday, March 7, 2019, 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (RESCHEDULED DATE)
- Hillsboro Center, https://www.mowp.org/dining-center.../hillsboro-center/, located at 6701 NE Campus Way Hillsboro OR 97124 [A dozen/more senior diners expected]
Visuals: Seniors having lunch in community dining rooms and local Girl Scouts serving Girl Scout Cookies to senior diners
We anticipate #100-to-#150 senior diners at the Beaverton and SE Portland locations on March 6.
There are a small number of senior diners (approximately a dozen or more) expected at the Hillsboro site on March 7.
On-Site Interviews:
- On March 6, in Beaverton, Meals on Wheels People’s Chief Development Officer, Tony Staser, and, GSOSW’s Director of Communications, Sarah Shipe, will be available on-site for media interviews.
- On March 6, in Southeast Portland, Meals on Wheels People’s Director of Marketing & Communications, Julie Piper Finley, and, GSOSW’s Public Relations and Advocacy Manager, Maureen Kenney, and will be available on-site for media interviews.
- On March 7, in Hillsboro, GSOSW’s Director of Communications, Sarah Shipe, will be available on-site for media interviews. [Meals on Wheels representative T.B.D.]
MEDIA: Please confirm your attendance with:
Sarah Shipe, Director of Communications, Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington
503-930-5275, Cell
ABOUT THE GIFT OF CARING PROGRAM
All throughout the Girl Scout Cookie season (through March 10, 2019), customers can opt to donate their purchased cookies through the Girl Scout Gift of Caring program. Purchases of cookies donated through this program are tax deductible. Most of the donated cookies are distributed to seniors and people in need throughout the region via several partnerships with social service agencies, including the Meals on Wheels People, Marion-Polk Food Share and Clark County Food Bank.
“The Gift of Caring program is one of the many ways in which GSOSW Girl Scouts give back to their local communities,” said Paige Walker, GSOSW’s Chief Operations Officer. “The Girl Scout Cookie Program helps develop business and leadership skills in girls and fosters a lifelong commitment to serving others.”
Girl Scout troops can elect to choose their own Gift of Caring recipient, making the philanthropic effort of the program even more personal for their troop. Girls have chosen fire stations, military personnel, shelters, veterans and many other groups and organizations in their communities.
Throughout the 2019 cookie season, nearly 9,000 Girl Scouts, representing areas within 40 counties, will participate in this special program to donate Girl Scout Cookies which will be distributed to a variety of social service agencies throughout the region.
COOKIE BOOTH SALES AND COOKIE FINDER
Girl Scouts will sell cookies at booths in front of local retailers throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington from February 15 through March 10, 2019. Purchases of cookies that are donated through the Girl Scouts Gift of Caring program are tax deductible.
Signature Girl Scout Cookies, including Thin Mints®, Samoas® and Trefoils® will be offered among the eight Girl Scout Cookie varieties at all cookie booths. Back by popular demand are Girl Scout S’mores™ cookies! Girl Scout S’mores™ and gluten free Toffee-tastic™ specialty cookies are available at select cookie booths while supplies last. Customers can find a Girl Scout Cookie booth near their location with the Cookie Finder at girlscoutsosw.org or use the Girl Scout Cookie Finder app available for iPhone or Android.
ABOUT THE GIRL SCOUT COOKIE PROGRAM
A little more than a century ago, girls began participating in what would evolve into the largest entrepreneurial training program for girls in the world: the Girl Scout Cookie Program. To learn more about the history of the Girl Scout Cookie Program, please visit girlscoutcookies.org.
ABOUT GIRL SCOUTS OF OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
In partnership with more than 8,000 adult members, Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington prepares 14,500 girls in grades K-12 for a lifetime of leadership, adventure and success. GSOSW’s programs in civic engagement, financial literacy, the outdoors and STEM serve girls in 37 counties in Oregon, and Clark, Klickitat and Skamania counties in Southwest Washington. The Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. For more information, please visit girlscoutsosw.org.
ABOUT MEALS ON WHEELS PEOPLE
Meals on Wheels People has been changing lives, one meal at a time, since 1970. We provide more than a meal to thousands of older adults in the greater Portland metro area. Our service not only alleviates hunger and social isolation, but allows seniors to live independently with dignity in their own homes. Aging in place reduces depression, falls and hospitalization as well as the high cost of institutional care. For more information, please visit: mowp.org.
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