Girl Scout Troop Donates Picnic Tables to Park

By Lauren DeWitt, Reporter

Tools

By Kara Kelly

Story Created: Jun 7, 2012 at 5:05 PM CDT

Story Updated: Jun 7, 2012 at 8:36 PM CDT

DELHI, Iowa -- Plastic bags typically aren’t very pretty in a par, but in Delhi City Park, the old plastic bags are providing a great place for a picnic.

Alyssa Sternhagen and four friends make up Girl Scout Troop 7668.
“They're mostly energetic, we have a couple that are shy but they come well together as a group. ” said their girl scout troop leader, Stacy Scholmeyer. They came together to collect everyday grocery bags to be recycled for new picnic tables.

“They were so excited, they put the tables together with the help of their dad of course. ” Co-leader, Karla Thompson explained. This troop was one of 20 recipients to receive a grant from Building with Bags. The girls collected bags, and the grant paid to turn those bags into picnic tables.

“We learned that there is no recycling stuff that you can’t use again, but you only recycle stuff you can use again. ” Girl Scout, Alyssa Sternhagen said.

It’s more than recycling, it’s doing something lasting to help the place where they love to play. “They can help out a community even though they are 6 and 7 years old. ” said Co-leader, Karla Thompson.

So far, the troop has replaced three old picnic tables with the new ones. In the future, they hope to replace all picnic tables located at Delhi City Park. The Girl Scout troop is accepting plastic bag donations at Heritage Bank or Kwik Stop in Delhi.