Scouting for food

Cub Scout Pack 466 to go door-to-door for donations

    As members of the Boy Scouts of America, Scouts pledge to follow Scout law which requires them to be, among other things—helpful, courteous, kind and loyal.  Through its annual holiday food drive,  Cub Scout Pack 466 seeks to display those characteristics and keep their promise to help others.
    Each December, Pack 466 organizes the food drive to benefit the Coal City Food Pantry’s holiday assistance program for families and individuals in need. As in the past, the Scouts are calling on area residents to support the effort by picking up a few extra items when venturing out to the grocery store this week.
    The door-to-door drive will begin Saturday, Dec. 2 when local Scout groups pool their resources to begin distributing grocery sacks to doorsteps throughout the villages of Carbon Hill, Coal City and Diamond. The sacks are to be used for making contributions of non-perishable food items, paper products, household cleaning supplies and personal care items. All items must be in sealed, original containers and display current expiration dates.
    On Sunday, Dec. 6, donations should be placed in the sacks and left on doorsteps by 12:30 p.m. The Cub Scouts, with help from the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, will return to collect the filled bags beginning at 2 p.m.
    Area residents who do not receive a bag and would like to make a donation can do so by dropping items off at the Coal City United Methodist Church, 6805 E. McArdle Road, between  9 a.m. and noon on Monday, Dec. 4 through Thursday, Dec. 7. In addition to food, individuals and businesses interested in making monetary or gift donations should deliver them directly to the church.
    Organizers report the communitywide event has been extremely successful due to the willingness of the community’s youth to serve, the generous donations of local businesses and residents who give unselfishly.
    Items collected for donation will be distributed from the church on Saturday, Dec. 9.
   Shopping list: Tea, rice, flavored gelatin, cereal, jelly, tuna, flour, sugar, nuts, popcorn, peanut butter, pasta and pasta sauce, crackers, coffee, canned fruits, spices, pie filling, biscuit mix, cake mix/frosting, brownie mix, instant potatoes and canned vegetables. Also,  box dinners, dry beans, juice, fruit snacks, dry gravy mix, flavored drink mix, granola bars, canned soup, stuffing mix, breakfast bars and tarts, paper towels, baby food, hand/body soap, dish soap, laundry soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, household cleaning supplies, napkins, facial tissue, toilet paper and feminine care products.