Cookie Season may be over, but we’re still spreading the love.
At the close of our cookie sale, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts donated 181 cases of gluten-free cookies to Pierce’s Pantry, a locally based gluten-free food bank.
GSEM began offering a gluten-free cookie option this past year, introducing Chocolate Chip Shortbread to complement our existing cookie offerings.
Director of Pierce’s Pantry, Tracy Keegan, was extremely grateful for the donation. As gluten-free dietary needs cost more than 200% more than traditional food, Keegan said treats like cookies are not often affordabe for celiac populations in need.
“They’ll probably burst into tears,” she said of food pantry clients who will receive the Girl Scout cookies. “It’s a luxury to get a cookie, think about kids than don’t have anything — parents certainly aren’t going to be spending money on cookies if they can’t afford regular groceries.”
Pierce’s Pantry was started by and named for Keegan’s teenaged son after his involvement in the Walk for Hunger left him wondering what he, having been diagnosed with Celiac disease as a preteen, would do if he were in a position to need food donations.
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| GSEM Staffer Toni Dixon helps Pierce’s Pantry volunteer Marissa Devlin pack up GSEM’s gluten-free cookie donation. |
The addition of these donated Girl Scout cookies to Pierce’s Pantry and the inclusion of a gluten-free cookie option in general, Keegan says, is huge for the Celiac community.
“It means that you now can be part of society again,” she said. “Girl Scout cookies are so iconic in terms of childhoold and interaction with the community.”
“The gluten free Girl Scout cookie is symbolic of what the Girl Scouts stand for because it’s a manifestation of showing that everyone needs to be embraced,” she said. “It’s a beautiful gesture of inclusion.”
Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts | Blog 