Girl Scout Highlights Food Bank Needs Through Marketing Campaign
Alea Diehl from Cedar Falls, Iowa, has achieved the Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, by creating and implementing a marketing campaign that highlights the need for kitchen tools and easy to consume foods in food banks.
"Within the community, there is a lot of food insecurity. This is only furthered by the increase in food deserts that are being created. The prices are items are too high for the people in these areas to afford to pay. Food banks don’t always provide food that is easily accessible for families to use. Those in low-income housing do not always have access to the necessary cooking equipment, and those who are homeless have even less resources.”
Alea wanted to bring awareness to the impact of food deserts and inform the community of how food banks can help those in need. She created a website, brochure, and a wide variety of flyers that were distributed across different income level areas. These flyers directed people to local resources, gave information on food deserts, gave instructions on how to host your own food drive, how to use leftover food, and how to help beyond the community. In addition to food donations, Alea requested donated can openers that could be given to families and allow them to use canned goods.
“Through my flyers, my audience gained knowledge about food deserts, the best and worst foods to donate, the resources available within the community, the demand for can openers, and ways to host their own food drive. My campaign has reminded people of this ongoing issue and how important it is. Food deserts and insecurity are real issues that can get lost in the sea of many other issues.”
Alea's efforts have provided 63 families with a can opener, giving them more options in their time of food insecurity. All flyers and resources are available to the public to use for educational purposes and for donations. By simplifying the donation process, Alea has encouraged others to help change the lives of those in need and will continue to through her hard work and dedication to her campaign.
You can find Alea's resources at https://bit.ly/4mk7MBR.
