Service Projects

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“To do a good turn daily.”

Service is an important part of the Girl Scout philosophy, and all troops and groups are encouraged to seek out opportunities for service. Projects may involve helping other people, animals or our environment. It can be a fantastic opportunity for girls to make new acquaintances and to experience the wonderful world of giving.

Service should be a tradition for each of us in Girl Scouting, without need of reward. Girls should be encouraged to plan, promote and participate in service projects for the joy and satisfaction of helping others rather than to earn something for themselves.

Planning Your Own Service Project

Troops and group leaders, as well as individual girls and adults should feel free to use their local community contacts to design community service that is of interest to them. Please keep in mind the following questions when deciding on a community service project.

Does the project:

Provide service to someone in the community rather than to Girl Scouts?
Allow for girl involvement and responsibility both in planning and execution?
Offer opportunities for girls to get to know new people?
Provide for understanding the responsibility of citizenship?
Focus on the contemporary interests and concerns of young people?
Provide for an involvement with people of different backgrounds?

Council-Wide Service Projects

Each year, the council coordinates a variety of council-wide service projects open to troops and groups from throughout the council.

Greater Bay Area Service Projects

North Coast Area Service Projects

North Central Area Service Projects

Area specific service projects for North Central Area will be available soon.

One Warm Coat

One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization that assists in the donation of coats. One Warm Coat helps individuals, groups, companies and organizations across the country collect coats and deliver them to local agencies that distribute them free, to people in need. The organization’s mission is to ensure that anyone who needs a coat has one. Providing this simple, yet vital, need helps people live productive lives year round. Since inception, more than 750,000 coats have been collected and distributed through One Warm Coat activities.

How Your Troop Can Participate
This year, GS NorCal has teamed up with One Warm Coat and KTVU again! Troops that volunteer will be shown on TV (KTVU) collecting coats at four different sites in the Bay Area!

This is your opportunity to be part of this exciting afternoon and to help make a difference in your community! You can volunteer to help receive coats or stop by and donate coats at these special drop-off locations!

Volunteer Information
Here are the exciting volunteer opportunities available with the collection site in San Francisco, Emeryville, San Jose, and Walnut Creek! We need help with the following positions:

Council Representative (1-3 people covering two-three shifts at each site)
a. At this time, we need Council Representatives in San Francisco, Emeryville, and San Jose.
b. This position can be broken into shifts during the day or one person can oversee the entire day.
c. The Council Representative oversees the coat collection during their shift.
Troop Volunteers (at least 5 troops during the day covering 2-3 shifts at each site)
a. Represent Girl Scouts of Northern California and hopefully be shown on TV during the day!
b. Volunteers will assist people in carrying their donated coats to the coat donation barrels and boxes.
c. Offer thanks for their donation
d. Sort and organize the coats - 10 coats to a bag, if possible.

Please click here for more information on One Warm Coat job descriptions.

For detailed questions about volunteering, please contact Melanie Johnston at MJohnston@GirlScoutsNorCal.org.

One Warm Coat Drive - Emeryville
Be a part of a wonderful holiday tradition. Join us at our annual drive on the Friday after Thanksgiving at Bay Street. KTVU television will be on hand for interviews and live coverage! Your troop can collect coats for those in need in our community.

Who: All Girls Grades K-12 and Adults
When: Friday, November, 27, 2009
Time: 9:00am - 6:30pm
Where: Bay Street in Emeryville next to the Elephant Bar Restaurant

If you are interested in volunteering to help collect coats from troops, please contact Angela Hummingbird at AHummingbird@GirlScoutsNorCal.org with the times you are available on Friday, November 27, 2009 from 9am-6:30pm and which site as soon as possible. Please let us know if you would like to be the Council Representative for this site.

One Warm Coat Drive - San Jose
Be a part of a wonderful holiday tradition. Join us at our annual drive on the Friday after Thanksgiving at Santana Row. KTVU television will be on hand for interviews and live coverage! Your troop can collect coats for those in need in our community.

Who: All Girls Grades K-12 and Adults
When: Friday, November 27, 2009
Time: 9:00am - 6:30pm
Where: Santana Row and Olin, in front of Pinkberry Yogurt, San Jose

If you are interested in volunteering to help collect coats from troops, please contact Angela Hummingbird at AHummingbird@GirlScoutsNorCal.org with the times you are available on Friday, November 27, 2009 from 9am-6:30pm and which site as soon as possible. Please let us know if you would like to be the Council Representative for this site.

One Warm Coat Drive - Walnut Creek
Be a part of a wonderful holiday tradition. Join us at our annual drive on the Friday after Thanksgiving at Broadway Plaza. KTVU television will be on hand for interviews and live coverage! Your troop can collect coats for those in need in our community.

Who: All Girls Grades K-12 and Adults
When: Friday, November 27, 2009
Time: 9:00am - 6:30pm
Where: Fountain at Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek

If you are interested in volunteering to help collect coats from troops, please contact Vinita Ramsay at viniramsay@astound.net with the times you are available on Friday, November 27, 2009 from 9am-6:30pm as soon as possible.

One Warm Coat Drive - San Francisco
Be a part of a wonderful holiday tradition. Join us at our annual drive on the Friday after Thanksgiving at Westfield San Francisco Center. KTVU television will be on hand for interviews and live coverage! Your troop can collect coats for those in need in our community.

Who: All Girls Grades K-12 and Adults
When: Friday, November 27, 2009
Time: 9:00am - 6:30pm
Where: Westfield San Francisco Center, San Francisco

Project Open Hand

Project Open Hand is a Bay Area organization that serves meals daily to over 2,000 clients with AIDS and HIV throughout San Francisco and the East Bay.

How Your Troop Can Participate
Your troop can make inspirational greeting cards, which will be included in clients’ daily meal packages to give them a special personal touch. Cards will be collected year round.

This is a fabulous Service Project to complete at any troop meeting!

Please mail your completed cards to:
Girl Scouts of Northern California Oakland Office
Attn: Program Department / Project Open Hand
7700 Edgewater Drive, Suite 340
Oakland, CA 94621

For more information on this Service Project, please download the Project Open Hand Information Sheet.