photo courtesy of Pack 131

Staying true to their value “The Cub Scout Gives Goodwill,” scouts from Pack 131, meeting at Lawton Elementary School, hauled in the donations for the Catholic Social Services (CSS) Emergency Food Program on Thursday, helping boost the reserves of this vital community service.

The Emergency Food Program distributes groceries and personal care items to over 500 low-income families and individuals on a monthly and/or emergency basis.

Duane Newton, Webelos II den leader, told the scouts, “Lawton has almost 500 students, so imagine if every single student here needed help to buy food every month.”

The scouts canvassed area neighborhoods two weeks ago, handing out flyers with a list of needed items and a designated pick-up time. On Dec. 19, despite swirling snow, they braved a very big chill, hauling in bags and boxes of canned goods and household items.

Program Director Janette Kawachi attended the meeting to thank the scouts for their generosity, explaining that “funding for our program has plummeted over the past couple of years as a result of the economy, while the number of families we serve has risen significantly. As a result, we are heavily reliant on community donations to keep our shelves stocked.”

The scouts posed for photos with Kawachi and then, with gusto, assisted her and a volunteer in loading up two cars with the donations.

After finding out how few people their small effort would support, second-grader Adam Dooley of the Wolf Den responded, “That’s a lot of people that need help.”

Julianne Smith is a community contributor at AnnArbor.com.