Chloe Landry earns Girl Scouting’s highest honor, the Gold Award, through project
DANVILLE, NH – Food insecurity is an issue for many people even in ordinary times, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for food donations increased. One Girl Scout decided to take action in her community by creating “The Helping House,” a little food pantry and library.
Chloe Landry, 18, of Danville is now a Gold Award Girl Scout, earning the highest honor possible for a Girl Scout in high school, for addressing the need in her town.
“I came up with the idea during my junior year, during COVID, about two years ago,” Landry said. “The kids where I’m going to school are getting free lunches, and there were elderly people who couldn’t go out.”
Landry had a little help with construction from her father. She also decided to include books in the plan.
Since Landry’s mother is also her troop leader and a member of the local Lions Club, she knew that the Lions were already involved in providing food for elementary school children each weekend. She teamed up with the club to make sure her little pantry would be maintained and full of food on a sustained basis.
Such a project doesn’t happen without the approval of the town, which required the Girl Scout to make a presentation to the Danville selectmen.
“One of the great joys I had working with Chloe on this project was attending the Board of Selectmen meeting with Chloe and watching and supporting her with presenting her project,” said Krissy McKeeman, her project advisor and also a Lions Club member. “She did fantastic and got the support of the road agent, who continues to support Chloe's project by making sure that the helping hut is plowed out when we get snow.”
McKeeman noted that Chloe thought outside the box when she came up with the project idea.
“The Lions Club is already working on a project with the elementary school to feed students over the weekend,” she said. “This project met a different need in our community. Chloe's helping hut provides food to folks 24/7. It is a mini pantry in town. It meets the needs of those who can't get to the food pantries, provides privacy and a variety of foods.”
Landry gained a variety of valuable skills by working on the project, including construction skills and finding ways to organize and communicate with adults.
“I had to go to a few meetings and present things, which I was nervous about, but I definitely worked on my communication skills,” she said. “There were so many emails that I had to send, that was good to know how to do, and how to word things.”
McKeeman said she was pleased with how well things worked out.
“She is a wonderful young lady and it was great working with her on this project,” she said. “Chloe is a driven person and when she sets her mind to something she sees it through. Chloe has consistently demonstrated this both throughout her educational career, in her personal life, in Girl Scouts and with friends and family. Chloe is a young woman of great character and it was a pleasure working with her on this project.”
Girl Scouting has made an enormous impact on Landry’s life, showing her the importance of community service, the joy of being outdoors at summer camp, and in creating lifelong friendships.
“I really loved the time that I spent in Girl Scouts,” she said. “It changed my life more than I thought it would, in the ways it made me view the world and spend my time.”
Landry is now considered a Girl Scout alum, having completed Girl Scouts from kindergarten through 12th grade. She graduated from Timberlane Regional High School last spring, where she was on the swim team and tennis team. She is now a freshman at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, where she is majoring in tourism and hospitality.
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Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good. The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9–12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges. Since 1916, Girl Scouts have answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change. They earn college scholarships, demonstrate high educational and career outcomes, and are active in their communities.
Chloe Landry has answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change, and her Gold Award is a testament to her remarkable dedication to improving her community and the world.
About the Girl Scout Gold Award
- Gold Award Girl Scouts on average spend one to two years on their project.
- A Gold Award project must be sustainable after the girl’s involvement ends.
- The average age of Gold Award Girl Scouts is 17.
- Since 1916, more than 1 million girls have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent.
- Gold Award Girl Scouts are entitled to enlist at a higher pay grade when they join the military.
- University research indicates that noting you are a Gold Award Girl Scout on a college application is influential in the admissions decision-making process.
- Thirty young women from New Hampshire and Vermont earned their Gold Award in the 2020-2021 membership year as part of Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains.
- The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable.
We Are Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains serves girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont through volunteer-run troops, events, and virtual programs. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org to learn more.
