PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts from Troop 171 spent much of their Saturday afternoon delivering boxes of food to Grace Interfaith Food Table in Presque Isle, to help those dealing with food insecurity in the region.
As part of the annual Scouting for Food project, the Scouts spent Saturday, Nov. 2, going door to door in Presque Isle neighborhoods, giving people paper bags and the opportunity to donate non-perishable food items. This past Saturday, Nov. 9, the Scouts returned to pick up the bags, deliver and organize the food items at GIFT.
Fifteen Scouts and their family members took part in the deliveries. Scoutmaster Tom Peary said that they likely collected close to 500 bags, which brought the total cans of food to around 1,000. He said that Scouting for Food is one of many service projects that the Scouts take part in every year to give back to their community.
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- Troop 171 Boy Scouts Chandler Drost, 12, (left), Barrett Drost, 14, and Orion Ouellette, 13, sort through food donations at Grace Interfaith Food Table on Nov. 9. (Staff photo/Melissa Lizotte)
“I hope the Scouts realize that there are people out there who are less fortunate than they are and that they should look for ways to give back,” Peary said.
Charlene Buzza, director of volunteer services for GIFT, noted that the community donations and the Scouts’ efforts are a great help to her and the pantry volunteers, who serve around 25 to 30 individuals and families each week.
This year the volunteers will provide people with Thanksgiving baskets that will include a pork roast, vegetables, gravy and other traditional holiday food. Buzza stated that the winter season marks a difficult time for many people that GIFT serves, who often feel forced to cut down on food expenses to pay for heating oil.
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- Troop 171 Boy Scout Orion Ouellettte, 13, (left), and Cub Scout Charlie Carmichael, 8, organize food donations at Grace Interfaith Food Table in Presque Isle on Saturday. (Staff photo/Melissa Lizotte)
“I think sometimes we don’t realize how many people need this food,” Buzza said. “We’re always accepting non-perishable food items because people can leave the food on their shelves longer than one day or month.”
Buzza said that she and volunteers appreciate the time that the Scouts take to do the Scouting for Food project year after year.
“It’s good for everyone to see that there are a lot of good kids out there,” Buzza said.
For Boy Scout Carter Daggett, 13, helping GIFT is just one way that he hopes to pay it forward.
“It feels put to help people,” Daggett said. “It’s a great way for us to give something to them.”
