(above, l-r) James, Jessica, and Andrew Short at the 2019 Scouting for Food Drive.
39th Annual Scouting for Food Goes Virtual
Gift cards will be collected at November 14 drive-through donation event
Submitted by Jennifer Niederhoffer
New Providence’s Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts are once again participating in their annual Scouting for Food project. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, things will look different for the 39th Annual event, as Scouting for Food 2020 is going (mostly) virtual.
The Scouts will kick off the 2020 Scouting for Food Drive with a drive-through donation event on Saturday, November 14 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Residents can bring grocery store gift cards, checks, or cash to the Scouts at the New Providence Library parking lot, 377 Elkwood Avenue, New Providence. Social distancing protocols will be followed.
With the large number of people it takes to collect and pack the traditional non-perishable food donations, it would not be safe for the Scouts (Boy Scout Troops 1 and 63 and Cub Packs 263, 363, 99) and other community volunteers to do that this year. But, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause such economic strife, there are more local families/individuals in need in New Providence and beyond than ever before. So for the 2020 Scouting for Food drive, the Scouts will only collect financial and grocery gift card donations to help their neighbors in need.
Residents can support the two charities which benefit from the annual Scouting for Food Drive – the Community Service Association of New Providence (CSA) and the Star Fish Food Pantry, both 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations – in the form of grocery gift cards, checks, or donations through PayPal, Venmo, or by mail. Please donate by November 20 so gift cards can be distributed before Thanksgiving.
In 2019, the Scouts collected more than $53,000 worth of non-perishable items. This year, CSA will provide grocery gift cards for New Providence families in financial need, and Star Fish Food Pantry will purchase food items in bulk with the contributions sent to their Plainfield location.
How to Donate:
- Bring a grocery store gift card, check, or cash to the Boy and Cub Scouts’ Saturday, November 14 drive-through collection at the New Providence Community Pool, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Venmo a donation to the Scouts using @ScoutingForFood; they will make donations to both the CSA and Star Fish Food Pantry.
- Send a grocery gift card or personal check to: Community Service Association of New Providence, 360 Elkwood Ave., New Providence, NJ 07974 (check memo – Scouting for Food). CSA volunteers will use this money to provide food and other assistance to New Providence residents in need.
- Donate via PayPal from the CSA’s website: CSAnewprovidence.org
- Send a check to Star Fish Food Pantry, P.O. Box 2822, Plainfield, NJ 07062
- Donate via the Star Fish Food Pantry website: starfishplainfield.org/contact-us-or-donate.php
Please contact the Community Service Association of New Providence at 908-665-8254 for more information.
