Boy Scouts Doorstep Collection Fills Food Pantry Shelves

Plastic bags appeared on doorsteps last weekend for a special cause.

The bags were placed by Boy Scouts from Marshfield, Hewitt, Spencer, Stratford, Pittsville and Auburndale. They will return bright and early on Saturday, April 13 to collect any food donations left in the bags for the Scouting for Food drive.

Samoset Council, serving north-central Wisconsin, partners with 50 food pantries in 13 counties. Sixty tons of food are collected annually and help fill shelves in time for summer, a time of year when families may need extra assistance feeding kids who are on school vacation.

“We count on the Spring donation drives (Scouting for Food this week and Postal Carriers in May) to fill the pantries for the summer,” said Cheryl Lewis Hartl, Soup or Socks Director. “There are no major food drives planned until the holidays in a typical year.”

The pantry served 500 people January through March, consistent with the 1st quarter numbers in 2018. “The weather was not on our side in January and February and it was hard on some days for people to get to the pantry,” she said.

Suggested non-perishable food donations for the drive are soup, dry pasta, dry mixes, canned foods, boxed food, flour and sugar. Soup or Socks is in short supply of cereal (cold and oatmeal), canned or bottled juice, mixed vegetables and canned meat. There is also a need for non-food items such as dish soap, all purpose cleaner and paper towels.

Bags should be left out on the doorstep by 8 a.m. on Saturday. Donations will be sorted at 1st Presbyterian Church and brought to Soup or Socks and St. Vincent de Paul.