Scouts, volunteers collecting items Saturday for pantry

Area Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies and community volunteers return to the streets of Carrollton Saturday to collect donations for the Scouting for Food project.

This is the 26th year the event has collected non-perishable food items.

Last Saturday morning, they walked door-to-door distributing posted notes to reminding residents that they would return to collect donated canned and boxed food items to be distributed to the hungry of this county through the Community Food Pantry and the Carroll County Crisis Center.  Donations should be placed on your front steps by 9 a.m. Saturday.

“Our scouts will hit the streets by 9 a.m. this Saturday,” Scoutmaster Scot Nab explained. “It’s very important that everyone put their donations out on their front porches as early as possible. We have a lot of territory to cover on Saturday.”

Items will be collected in the city of Carrollton, M & T Road, and the Indian Hills, Sycamore Trace, Camelia Court, Burley Estates, Meadowbrook and Oakview Estates subdivisions. Those who live outside these areas and want to participate can leave their donated items at the Carroll County Water District No. 1 office in Ghent, Carroll County Public Library;  their churches or in the barrel provided at Kroger.

“While all donated food items are appreciated, we really need canned meat or tuna, canned soup, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter and jelly, dried beans and rice”, local food bank coordinator Ruth H. Baxter said.

In the past, Carroll Countians have been generous with their donations. Last year’s donations included over 16,000 non-perishable items.

“We anticipate filling 300 families’ request for food at Christmas, and January and February are months that impact our supplies greatly. 

This is the only collection the food pantry makes each year for food items, so it is important that we receive sufficient quantities to provide food for the needy of this community year ’round,” Baxter said.

A typical food basket for a family of four allows them to eat for three to five days, and includes two cans each of green beans, corn, pork and beans and assorted vegetables; canned tuna or meat, soup and fruit; a box of macaroni and cheese; a box of crackers; a jar of spaghetti sauce and a package of noodles; a box of cereal; dried beans; rice; and fruit juice, if available.

Phillip Morris International has donated $5,000 to supplement the canned items in the Christmas food baskets. “The grant from Phillip Morris will enable us to purchase milk, bread, margarine and hamburger for each of the baskets this year,” Baxter said.

Anyone interested in helping with the collection of donated food, or those wanting to assist in sorting and shelving the items once picked up, should meet at St. John’s Church parking lot by 9 a.m. Saturday. 

Nab is responsible for coordinating the Scouts’ efforts.  Drivers are needed to assist the scouts in collecting donated food items.

For information, contact Nab at (502) 732-9208, or Baxter at (502) 732-6688.