Remembering the need: Scouting for Food

It’s that time of year again. The snow melts, the crocuses break through the soil, and we start thinking of abundance as the planting season approaches. But that image can be a fallacy. As spring begins it’s easy to forget there are still people in need. But the Boy Scouts have not forgotten.
Hopedale’s Boy Scout Troop 1 will be “Scouting for Food” on Saturday, April 11, 2020 to try and fill that void. All of the food collected will go to help The Daily Bread a food pantry on Exchange Street in Milford. The door tags included in this paper and are the best way to participate in this important event.
Hang a tag on your front door, or where it will be visible from the street, and leave your non-perishable food donations outside your front door or on your porch on Saturday, April 11. The Scouts will begin looking for donations at 9 a.m. Scoutmaster Robert Jackson noted that this time of year can be difficult for food pantries as stock runs low, and he hopes the event will collect about 800 pounds of food to help those in need.
The Scouts will also set up a drop-off area at the Union Evangelical Church, 25 Dutcher Street in Hopedale, where food can also be donated. The Scouts will be at the church between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., sorting the food before it heads to the food pantry. “If they aren’t dropping off, we are requesting they leave the bag of food on the front porch or front steps, visible from the street,” Robert said.
“We will take any non-perishable food item that is not expired,” noted Kelly Alley, the den leader for the Wolves Den. Her group was instrumental in coordinating the door hangers found in this paper. Kelly added that she can be contacted if any food is not picked up by 2 p.m. “Call 508-308-8649 and leave a message with your address and it will be picked up,” she said.
According to John DeAngelo of The Daily Bread, the pantry is able to serve about 250 families and 750 individuals each month through the help of 150 volunteers and efforts like Scouting for Food. The Daily Bread is housed at Trinity Episcopal Church in Milford, one of six churches to found the pantry in 1991. “We are able to do this because of the generosity of everyone, including the people of Hopedale,” John said of the program. “We appreciate all their efforts.”
The Scouting for Food program has been a big part of Hopedale’s Scouting program for over a decade, according to Mike Kavanagh. The door tags included in the Hopedale Local Town Pages explain the initiative and the event, and help the Scouts identify homes with food donations. “It’s a way for the Scouts to give back to the community,” Mike said.
“The youth of Hopedale learn so much from this event,” Robert added.  “The importance of caring for the community, and one another, as well as the outpouring of support that our little town provides, creates such a lasting impact on the Scouts.”