Girl Scouts donate 400 pounds of food to Preston’s Pantry
While earning their Take Action badge, the members of Daisy and Brownie Troop 1759 of Boyertown learned about the needs in their community and brainstormed ways to make a difference. Using a portion of the proceeds from their cookie sales, the troop donated more than 400 pounds of food to Preston’s Pantry.
Sharon Smith, Troop co-leader, explained that the requirements of the Take Action badge are to identify a need or problem, talk about the root cause of the problem and then come up with an action plan and put that plan into action.
The group of Girl Scouts, which meet at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Boyertown, decided to donate food items to Preston’s Pantry. The 13 girls voted to spend some of their cookie money to purchase needed items for the pantry.
Meeting with families one-onone, the Boyertown Area MultiService food pantry provides food assistance to those in need who reside in the Boyertown Area School District plus the townships of Hereford, District, Pike, Oley and Amity.
The girls, who range in age from 5 to 9, shopped at Redner’s Warehouse Market in Boyertown on June 13, spending a total of $666.53. The troop was divided into three groups, each with the list of items the pantry would like to receive. They decided what items and how many of each would be purchased.
“The girls had a great time finding items, as well as price comparisons to find the best deals,” said Smith.
What they liked most about this project was picking food items that they thought families would enjoy.
One of the Girl Scout mottos is “Make the World a Better Place.”
Smith said this is the goal for the girls. She hopes they learned that people of all ages can make a difference in their community.
“We can all share what we have and when we all work together; it can have a big impact on the world around us.”
On Tuesday, June 14, the Girl Scouts delivered 436 pounds of food, including bags of dog food for the furry family members, to Preston’s Pantry.
“The whole trunk and back seat were filled of the vehicle. It took three carts to carry all food
donations,” said Nicole Clark, case manager, Boyertown Area Multi-Service, Inc. “These acts of kindness is what Preston’s legacy is all about. It’s about feeding the community all while spreading kindness and teaching the next generation the importance of giving to those that are in need.”
Clark said that donations are very important to the pantry.
“We do get food from Helping Harvest which is a food bank but we are limited to what we can get and what is offered. Community donations or food drives help us keep our shelves stocked and lets us give families a wide variety of food choices,” she said.
Also, Preston’s Pantry also tries to give out nonfood items such as hygiene products, cleaning products, paper towels, toilet paper, and animal food, items that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program does not cover.
“Our pantry serves about 200 families a month. We cover all of Boyertown School District, as well as areas in Oley, Douglassville and Hereford,” said Clark. “Our pantry clients make an appointment to pick up the food and get about one to two weeks’ worth of groceries, including canned goods, frozen meat, dairy and fresh produce.”
Call Multi-Service at 610-367-6957 to request an appointment for food assistance or to speak to the Food Programs Manager about making a donation. There is an opening for a part-time pantry assistant. Candidates can apply through Indeed.com.
For more information about Preston’s Pantry, visit https://www.boyertownareamulti-service. org/prestons-food-pantry. html.