By Megan Alderman-Person
On Saturday, March 4, the Greenwich Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts held their annual Scouting for Food drive.
The food donations were brought to four drop-off locations, then the Scouts sorted and delivered them to benefit Neighbor to Neighbor.
This year, the goal was to surpass the 2016 collection amount of about 160 crates of food. The Scouts achieved their goal by collecting 229 crates of non-perishable food items, weighing in at 6,870 pounds, according to Heather Lowthert, program director for the Boy Scouts of America Greenwich Council.
The drive had over 100 volunteers supporting this event, including members of the Boy Scout Troops and Cub Scout Pack with their families and adult leaders; Cos Cob, Glenville and Sound Beach Fire Stations; ACME in Riverside and Greenwich; Kings Market in Old Greenwich; Stop & Shop in Greenwich; WGCH and the First Selectman’s Youth Commission.
For Ajax Shung, Junior Chair, his favorite part of participating in the drive is helping Neighbor to Neighbor sort, organize and stock the food.
“I get to work with other Scouts,” said Shung. “We really get to see the impact of the community donations and our own efforts as we fill up the Neighbor to Neighbor pantry.”
In addition, the Boy Scouts ran a parallel drive online for the first time this year. People could make their monetary donations online to have fresh produce delivered to Neighbor to Neighbor over the course of the month. Through this platform, they have raised 1,020 pounds of fresh fruit for Neighbor to Neighbor.
Duncan Lawson, operations coordinator at Neighbor to Neighbor, said the Scouting for Food drive is one of the most significant food drives Neighbor to Neighbor has throughout the year.
Neighbor to Neighbor serves approximately 750 to 800 people a week, according to Lawson. The pantry serves as a supplement to the family’s weekly grocery shopping needs, and provides up to three meals a week.
The donations from the drive help Lawson and the rest of the team at Neighbor to Neighbor provide fresh produce and other food items without having to spend more money out of their budget. The timing of the drive is especially important.
“We normally get a ton of donations around the holidays,” Lawson said. “Once we start working on our inventory in January and coming into February, we are starting to look pretty thin and then the Scouts come in with this drive and it builds our inventory back up.”
State Rep. Fred Camillo, the honorary chair of the drive, says the drive serves as a reminder that no matter where you live, there are always people in need. This year, the drive received its largest response ever, according to Camillo.
“I love what the Boy Scouts do,” Camillo said. “Their work and training all contribute to them becoming the leaders of tomorrow.”
Shung said next year, the Scouts hope to surpass this year’s number of crates. They are also hoping to increase their online presence by raising 2,000 pounds of fresh fruit.
Neighbor to Neighbor members and the Boy Scouts would like to extend their gratitude to all of the staff and volunteers that help make this drive successful, including the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, the grocery stores and fire stations that provided their space to help with the donations, and the generous members of the community who donated food.
