Scouting for Food Triples Their Donations in December Food Drive

Webelo Scout sorting items for Manchester Family Services Christmas Shop. Photo courtesy of Lisa Somerville

Manchester’s generosity has topped itself again this year. For years Cub Scout Pack 421 has been collecting donations for the Manchester Family Services Christmas Shop. Braving the cold December weather, the Scouts set up collection stations outside of the Manchester Market and Dollar General. In the past, the scouts went door to door, but this year, with the new collection stations, Rachel Carson, one of the Den Leaders, thought the scouts collected roughly three times the amount of items as compared to previous years.

Lisa Somerville, a pack parent, exclaimed, “For such a small town, the generosity was overwhelming.”

One memorable donation occurred midway through the drive. Sommerville stated, “A man and a woman came out of the Manchester Market with a full cart of groceries and walked it up to the boys. The kids thought they were going to donate an item or maybe a grocery bag. The boys were so excited when the couple donated the entire cart of groceries! That was certainly a highlight, but the overall participation by folks coming and going that weekend was really encouraging.”

Scouting For Food gathered nonperishable food items, baking supplies, cleaning supplies and personal care products. The Cub Scouts would like to shout out a thanks to the Manchester Market and the Dollar General for letting them set up the drive in their foyers and parking lots.  Somerville noted, “It was a pretty chilly Saturday, so the kids were grateful to be able to come inside to warm up inside Manchester Market and the Dollar General.”

(For more info, check out our pre-event article.)

Photo courtesy of Lisa Somerville

Photo courtesy of Lisa Somerville

Photo courtesy of Lisa Somerville

Photo courtesy of Lisa Somerville

Photo courtesy of Lisa Somerville

Photo courtesy of Lisa Somerville

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by Fritz Swanson

Fritz Swanson has written for The Believer, the Christian Science Monitor, Print Magazine, McSweeney's, Esopus, LSA Magazine, and The Mid-American Review. He serves as a trustee on the Manchester District Library Board. He's the designer and publisher of The Manchester Mirror.

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