Scouting for Food a Tremendous Success
December 1, 2009 • written by Samantha Hartfiel
Good souls ran fervent in the South Washington County area on the morning of Saturday November 14 as the local Boy Scout troops hosted the annual Scouting for Food fundraiser. This yearly benefit, in which scouts walk door-to-door collecting food for the local Friends in Need Food Shelf, was an admirable reflection of the generosity of the community. Not only were people willing to donate an abundance of victuals to those in need, others voluntarily gave time from their Saturday morning in order to help store and organize contributed items. This task was especially strenuous this year, for the Scouting for Food was a tremendous success. Over the course of five hours, local troops in Saint Paul Park, Cottage Grove, and Newport had collected roughly 2,500 pounds of food and over $1,300 from the area communities, that will be available to local families in need.
The coordinators of the Friends in Need Food Shelf were very enthusiastic about the outcome, affirming that this was the utmost amount of food that the event has gathered in several years and the largest sum of money raised in all participating years. The facility even filled all of the banana boxes that were available to hold the food, which totaled to be approximately 300 cardboard containers.
“There were a lot more checks than last year as well, which definitely goes a long way” stated Venture scout Brian Caswell, “Since the Food Shelf has the ability to get discounted food, money is a big help.”
In regards to the food, approximately sixty to seventy members of the region volunteered their morning to help store the provisions in labeled boxes. These volunteers stood in an extremely organized assembly line, in which an individual was in charge of one of thirty five different food items, such as macaroni and cheese, beans, or spaghetti sauce, that would be placed in an individualized box. Once a box was full, a volunteer would replace the package, and the assembly line would continue to move with ease.
“The assembly line was pretty intense,” declared one volunteer, “I do not think I stopped moving the whole five hours we were there.”
Several Park High School students volunteered to help out in this event as well, including members of the Boy scouts, Venture Scouts, Park dance team, and other scholars who read about the event in the paper.
Alison Dahedl, a Park junior who was in charge of boxing Spaghetti-O’s and ravioli, came in order to aid people in the community.
“I feel like such a good person,” Dahedl beams, “I believe we are actually making a difference in people’s lives.”
After five hours of intense sifting, the volunteers discovered that the most commonly donated items were pasta, macaroni and cheese, and pasta sauce. Common inedible materials provided included soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste, which are also very helpful to the indigent.
Overall, the event was a remarkable triumph. It appears that with the economy turning around that people are able to give back to their communities again, which is very beneficial to all. The Friends in Need Food Shelf appreciates all the food donated and the help of the volunteers, for without them, the event would not have been a success.
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