Scout law states, “A Scout is helpful. A Scout cares about other people. He willingly volunteers to help others without expecting payment or reward.” This guiding tenet was on full display Saturday, Nov. 16, as Boy Scout Troops and Cub Scout Packs across the nation participated in the annual Scouting for Food drive.
Mt. Laurel’s own Cub Scout Pack 176 and Boy Scout Troops 15 and 76 were no exception, and each did their part participating in the annual tradition. The local Cub Pack and Scout Troops gathered dozens of bags filled with food from various drop-off spots throughout the area and took them to the New Covenant Presbyterian Church and Laurel Acres Park where they sorted the items, readying them for the Catholic charity organizations and local food banks that came to collect them.
Boy Scouts of America’s Scouting for Food is one of the largest annual food drives in the country. The mass collection began in 1985 with the Greater St. Louis Area Council, according to stlbsa.org. Since then, the drive has expanded to councils across the country and has collected millions of donations for people in need.
According to Mary Strieffler, Troop 15’s Scouting for Food coordinator, they were able to collect more than 8,000 food items last year. Having participated in the drive now for several years, they have worked out an efficient system to cover their area. Leading up to the big day, the township is divided into sections and each Scout is assigned a neighborhood where they collect donations.
“It’s a big operation,” Strieffler said. “We try to hit as many neighborhoods as we can. It tends to fluctuate a little bit with the size of the troop.”
The project not only counted toward each of the participating Scout’s individual ranks, but earned them volunteer service hours as well.
Scout leadership makes a concerted effort to educate their troops and packs about where the food is going and who will be benefiting from their efforts during the drive. They hope to instill understanding in younger Scouts who may not be fully aware of the issue of hunger in our area.
“It’s here in Mt. Laurel where we’re serving our neighbors – our brothers and sisters in need and people who are hungry,” Strieffler said.
“It makes them realize that there are people out there who don’t get to eat, and people rely on the food they go out there and collect door-to-door,” Pack 176 Cubmaster Scott Constantine added.
Seventeen-year-old Ethan Francoeur has been with the Scouts since he was in fifth grade. As an older Scout and one who has previously participated in Scouting for Food, he has found himself recently taking on more of a leadership role in the annual event. Along with his fellow troop members, Francoeur feels a responsibility to guide the younger Cub Scouts throughout the event.
“As you get older you start to be able to teach younger Scouts all the skills they need in order to make this work; you’re basically passing on that information to them,” Francoeur said.
Although they may never actually see the people they are helping face to face, for this elder Scout, the payoff comes when they see all of the donations together in one place.
“Once you see all the food unloaded from all the cars, spread out, you get to finally see the fruits of your labor,” Francoeur said. “It’s an amazing experience.”
