(above) New Providence and Berkeley Heights Boy Scout and Cub Scout volunteers from Packs 99, 263, 363, 368 and Troops 1 and 68 came together for the 38th annual food collection.
Community Comes Together to Help Local Residents and Food Banks
Submitted by Mike Koubek
Members of the community participated in the 38th annual food collection and sorting event at Faith Lutheran Church in New Providence on Sat., November 23, 2019.
Every year, non-perishable food items are collected by the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of New Providence from locals in their “Scouting for Food” drive. These items are for the Starfish Food Pantry in Plainfield, as well as for struggling families and individuals who receive assistance from the Community Service Association of New Providence.
Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts delivered grocery bags the weekend before the drive to residents’ homes and then they returned on the 23rd to pick up the filled bags and brought them to Faith Lutheran Church. From 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., volunteers from Cub Scout Packs 99, 263, 363 and 368, and Boy Scout Troops 1 and 68, from both New Providence and Berkeley Heights, unloaded bags of food from a steady flow of cars of the scouting families of New Providence. More volunteers from the community then sorted, packed and prepared the donations for delivery to food pantries and to New Providence residents in need.
This year, over 120 volunteers from the parish of Faith Lutheran, the Community Service Association of New Providence, residents of Lantern Hill, residents of New Providence and Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts assisted in the event. Hundreds of bags of food were collected, valued at approximately $53,000.
On November 30, volunteers again helped, this time to deliver the food to the Starfish Pantry and local residents in need.
As Cheryl Bock, organizer of the event for Faith Lutheran said: “It’s a wonderful event my family has been involved with and to me it’s just not Thanksgiving without it.”
James Kwan and Cheryl Bock of Faith Lutheran Church contributed to this article.
(above) Some of the many volunteers sorting and organizing donated food items.
(above) Scouts and volunteers unloading cars delivering donated food items.
(above) Some of the hundreds of bags of food donated by residents of New Providence.
