Chicken is a Girl Scout, and one of the things Girl Scouts encourages is service to the community. One of our leaders came across Burrito Brigade and worked with them to provide a service opportunity for our girls.
Burrito Brigade has groups in both Portland and Eugene, Oregon. It is a non-profit organization focused on helping to feel the homeless through- you guessed it- burritos. Volunteers come together to prepare and wrap burritos. Once that process has been completed, groups of volunteers are assigned specific areas to distribute burritos.
We appreciated the variety of experience. Due to the age range of our troupe, we decided to forego the preparation portion of things and focus on wrapping and distributing. You are able to do that- volunteer for certain time frames related to the specific tasks.
Our older girls helped to fill and wrap the burritos, while our younger girls helped count them and place them into various containers for distribution. Over 400 burritos were made on the day we were there!
Once all the burritos were packed up, along with water bottles and small kits containing cough drops, tissues, and hand warmers, we were assigned areas for distribution. Our group was assigned the Chinatown area in Portland. I loved the agencies approach to giving. There were no limitations or conditions. If people want a burrito, give them a burrito. If they want another for themselves or someone else, give them another one. Keep giving until it’s all gone.
It was a great experience for our troupe. Members of the Burrito Brigade organization were friendly and helpful, the assigned tasks were age appropriate, and it opened the eyes of some of our girls to poverty issues in Portland. All of the girls I talked to said they enjoyed the experience and would do it again.
In general, you are able to just show up on a day that works for you (make sure to check their schedule). They do ask that larger groups contact them ahead of time so they can ensure they will be able to accommodate everyone
What it is: an accessible, fun volunteer activity for a variety of ages, service to local homeless communities
Would we recommend it? I think it’s a great way to introduce kids to volunteering. I like that you are able to sign up for the shift that fits your schedule, interests, and comfort level
You can find out more about the organization and volunteering here: https://burritobrigade.org/portland-burrito-brigade/
Their Facebook page (just search for Burrito Brigade) is probably the easiest way to find their schedule and upcoming opportunities. They were also very responsive to us through the messenger feature.
Adventures with Chicken and Nugget 