Scouting for food

Cub Scout Pack 466 is scouting for food, and they are calling on the community to lend a hand. For longer than anyone can remember, local scouts have organized a holiday food drive to benefit the Coal City Food Pantry. This year is no different, just a bit earlier in the season. The scouts announced last week they were moving the annual food drive up one month, a change driven by the on-going coronavirus pandemic. Due to guidelines, the food pantry must follow including social distancing and capacity limits, changes had to be made in the way the donations are delivered and sorted by volunteers. Food Pantry president Barb Kent asked organizers if the annual drive could be moved from the first weekend in December to early November, and they agreed. The change will provide volunteers with additional time to sort the donations that will be put to immediate use. Items collected during the Nov. 8 food drive will be utilized to fill the boxes that are collected by families seeking assistance from the pantry on a monthly basis. In October, the pantry assisted 99 families. Kent expects that number to rise in the coming month as a result of a resurgence in coronavirus cases. In the first two months of the pandemic—March and April—the pantry was assisting over 130 families. With the surge in cases and mitigations taking effect locally, the pantry will likely see more individuals and families seeking food assistance. The door-to-door food collection begins Saturday, Nov. 7 when local scout groups pool their resources to distribute grocery bags 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 donations must be in sealed, original containers and display current expiration dates. On Sunday, Nov. 8 the filled donation bags should be placed on door steps for the scouts and their helpers to pickup beginning at noon. As in the past, the Scouts are calling on area residents to support the effort by picking up extra items when they venture out to the grocery store this week. Area residents who do not receive a bag and would like to make a donation can do so by placing items in the pantry’s donation box located outside the south entry door of Coal City United Methodist Church, 6805 E. McArdle Rd. Along with regular distributions, the food pantry will hold a holiday distribution this December. All items collected this weekend will be delivered to the pantry and will be sorted by volunteers on Tuesday, Nov. 10, Wednesday, Nov. 11 and Friday, Nov. 13. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, volunteers must schedule a time to assist with the sorting of items. Individuals interested in lending a hand must call the food pantry at 815-216-3288. Kent said the pantry is grateful to the scouts and community for its continued support of the pantry, especially at a time when there is a need for food.