IN CRANSTON, members of Boy Scout Troop 6 sort nonperishable foods into boxes at the Sockanossett Fire Station Saturday, during the annual Scouting for Food neighborhood collection drive. COURTESY NARRAGANSETT COUNCIL, BOY SCOUTS

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By PBN Staff

11/4/08

PROVIDENCE – Saturday’s Scouting for Food drive brought 20 percent more food to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank than the organization reaped from last year’s Boy Scout and Cub Scout collection effort.

Members of the Boy Scouts of America’s Narragansett Council gathered 300,000 pounds of food this weekend – including 210,000 pounds that went directly to the Food Bank, up from 173,000 pounds last year – in Rhode Island, nearby Connecticut and southeastern Massachusetts, the council said. The total included 10,000 pounds collected at local Walgreen’s stores.

“Every year, the scouts of the Narragansett Council are excited to participate in the food drive and eager to do their part and help make a difference in their communities,” said Joe DeStefano, who has served as volunteer coordinator for the Narragansett Council food drive for the 21 years. “Knowing the impact the food drive has on families who struggle to put food on the table is their motivation to make sure the effort is a success.”

Besides the Narragansett Council, the Rhode Island Food Bank and Walgreen’s pharmacies, supporters of the Scouting for Food drive include WPRI-12 News, WNAC Channel 64 Fox Providence, the R.I. National Guard, WCTK Cat Country 98.1 FM, The Valley Breeze and local fire stations.

“The hard work and dedication of everyone involved with the Narragansett Council and Scouting for Food is truly remarkable,” Andrew Schiff, the Food Bank’s executive director, said in a statement.

“As the economy continues to struggle, more and more people are turning to food pantries to help feed their families – people that never before needed help or envisioned being in such a difficult position,” he added. “The food collected through this drive will help make a difference for thousands of families.”

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank – based at Niantic Avenue in Providence – serves about 50,000 Rhode Islanders, about a third of whom are children, through a network of nearly 400 member agencies. In the past fiscal year, it distributed 8.3 million tons of food. For more information or to make a donation, call 942-6325 or visit www.rifoodbank.org.

The Boy Scouts of America’s Narragansett Council serves more than 23,000 youths in Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts and Pawcatuck, Conn. Additional information is available at www.NarragansettBSA.org.