Scouts, volunteers restock Samaritan Center shelves

Packs like Immaculate Conception Pack 6 set out thousands of bags on neighborhood porches last weekend in preparation for Scouting for Food.

Then this past Saturday morning the scouts walked door to door, picking up the donations and returning them to the distribution organizations, including the Samaritan Center in Jefferson City.

Pack 6 assistant den leader Katie Roling said she “didn't realize the amount of stuff everyone left out on their porches and then at this drop off to see how much is here at one time.”

Once the scouts deposited their pick-up at the Samaritan Center, another group of volunteers took on the task of sorting each bag and box.

Samaritan Center regular volunteers worked alongside youth from other scout programs like the Ventures and the Explorers. But other volunteers turned out from local school athletic programs.

The Lincoln University softball team has made community service a priority this year, led by first-year coach Lori Reyes.

“It's good to help people that are in need,” said junior Lacy Miles, Jefferson City. “We want to let them know we're not just athletes, but we want to help our community, too.”

The Samaritan Center has distributed food valued at $249,459 since the first of the year. It averages 66 families served daily.

With a lingering lull in food support from the Central Missouri Food Bank, due to federal redirection following the hurricanes down south, the Samaritan Center has become more reliant upon community donations, said spokesman Ben DeFeo.

Yet the stock has never run dry because the community has stepped up its giving, DeFeo said.

The scouts collected 19,378 pounds of food for the Samaritan Center Saturday morning with more to come from drop-off sites at grocery stores, churches and Casey's General Store.

“I hope (the boys) learn the principle of giving to others and helping the less fortunate,” Roling said. “You don't have to know who you're give to, just that your helping those who need it.”