The Connection

On Saturday, Nov. 13, Scouts and their adult leaders from Troops and 

Webelos Scout Luke from Pack 160 with food gathered at a Pack event for Scouting for food in 2020 in Oak Hill.

 

Packs all over Northern Virginia will be gathering food from their neighbors and bringing it to local charities in the annual Scouting for Food collection. Operating the food drive safely during the pandemic is a primary concern for Scout Leaders. Scouts will be masked and will conduct the food drive outdoors for maximum safety while serving their community.

All food is donated to local charities that distribute the food to those in need in our community. All of the charities will also observe pandemic safety precautions.  

Four charities will accept food donations between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Nov. 13 and the public is also welcome to drop off nonperishable food. The charities are: 

* LINK receiving food at Trinity Presbyterian Church at 651 Dranesville Road, Herndon; 

* Community of Faith UMC Food Pantry at 13224 Franklin Farm Road, Herndon; 

* Cornerstones, receiving food at the 11484 Washington Plaza West, Reston, and 

* South Lakes High School PTSA Food Pantry, will receive food from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at 1133 Reston Ave, Herndon.

Betty Eidemiller, of the LINK charity on Scouting for Food: “LINK is doubling the number of families that we are serving this holiday season to accommodate the new clients that LINK has been serving during the pandemic. Food insufficiency in Herndon, Sterling, and Ashburn is great and LINK volunteers are working hard to provide, thanks to all the generosity that we see from the community.”

Rev. Robert Vaughn, of the Community of Faith UMC Food Pantry on Scouting for Food: “Scouting for Food is an important link in providing food for families in our neighborhoods. Eighty-five percent of all the non-perishable items come from the annual collection – every can, box and bag make a difference in the lives of our clients. Some of our families receive their entire week’s groceries from the food ministry.”  The number of families served by Community of Faith has grown by about 60% during the pandemic.

Roberta Gosling of the South Lakes High School Food Pantry on Scouting for Food: “Since COVID -19, the SLHS PTSA Food pantry has pivoted to a contact-free distribution system. We pack 20-25 pound bags of food and distribute that along with many other items to [each of] approximately 140 families each week at South Lakes High School. This number continues to grow every week. These groceries serve students and families in the SLHS Pyramid. Prior to the pandemic, we knew that approximately 30% of the students at SLHS were food insecure — that’s approximately 730 students. Many have told us that these groceries and other products have been a life-saver for them.”

Minnie Orozco of Cornerstones on Scouting for Food: “Scouting for food as well as other food drives are really important to Cornerstones food pantry — they help us provide food for our community who are in need and who cannot afford to buy food.”

Last year, over 400 scouts and 300 adult leaders collected 38,978 pounds of food in the Powhatan District covering Great Falls, Herndon, Reston, Oakton, and Chantilly.