These Two Giving Girls Give Generosity a Whole New Meaning

This local nonprofit has been making Christmases more special, school dances more affordable, and giving back more accessible since 2016.

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Gianna Zarillo and Antonella Brkich weren’t even ten years old when they started Two Giving Girls, a nonprofit organization with a mission to serve the people of Beaver County, Pennsylvania. 

At the age of eight, the pair began working on their very first project; care packages for soldiers overseas. 

“It all started with the idea of care packages,” Gianna said, telling me about her experience as a seven-year-old and her visits to Pittsburgh. It’s there where she witnessed the homeless crisis and, as young as she was, thought she had to do something about it.

With the help of friends and family, she assembled 75 care packages and distributed them to homeless people in the city.

Soon after Gianna’s debut act of kindness, she and Antonella joined forces, and the rest is history. 

Nearly nine years later, the girls are both 16 and are still managing their food pantry in the Beaver County YMCA, which sits adjacent to the entrance doors. It’s their organization’s longest-running initiative which has been in operation since the beginning. 

The pantry is ruled by the motto “take what you need and give what you can.”

The girls also host pop-up dress sales every year, where attendees can purchase low-priced gently-used dresses. 

“The dresses we sell are all donated by anybody who has homecoming or prom dresses or even bridesmaid dresses that they aren't going to use again,” Gianna said. 

Money fundraised from this event helps fund other events. 

This year, Two Giving Girls hosted the dress sale on August 30th and September 1st at the Beaver Valley Mall. Dresses have been previously sold for as low as $15 or $25. Purses and jewelry go for $5, and shoes are $10. 

The annual Christmas party is the second longest-running initiative (and Gianna’s favorite event) that, in partnership with Adoption Connection and Children and Youth Services (CYS), helps make the holidays more magical for more than 100 foster kids in downtown Beaver.

The foster children first write letters to Santa, outlining their top five wishes. Thanks to generous donations, there’s lots of food, games, raffle baskets, and gifts at the party, and even Santa stops by.

In previous years, a Steelers watch, iPad, and Penguin tickets were among special prizes.

“They get so happy over all of it,” Gianna said.

This event has been around for about seven years now and even operated throughout COVID in a “drive-by” style, where children could pick up their presents at the YMCA.

I asked Gianna how she’s grown since first starting the nonprofit.

She told me that she’s become a better, more confident speaker and more empathetic, although one could argue that her large capacity for empathy is what initially drove her to start this organization.

She has gotten so much joy from seeing people smile and knowing that she has inspired others.

In just a couple years, Two Giving Girls will get to celebrate a decade since its inception, and Gianna would like to see it go on as long as possible.

She encourages others who want to start their own altruistic projects to power through the hard parts - fundraising, event planning etc. - so that they can experience the reward of seeing others happy. Simply donating to an organization, or even donating your time, can be a good feeling.

“You don't even have to tell people about it for it to feel good,” she said, “You know you did it, and you feel good that you did it.”

Gianna and Antonella truly prove that to make a difference, you don’t need to travel thousands of miles away.  

If you would like to get involved with Two Giving Girls, you can check out their Facebook page.