It’s been a tough summer for area kids with so many restrictions due to the pandemic, but five members of the Jewish Boy Scout Troop 61 decided to make the best of it — and indeed, they did.
The quintet of Jewish boys — Eric Fine, Danny Martin, Shaefer Spizman, Danny Galler and Sam Hochler — conducted food drives for Jewish Family Services Food Pantry. Together, the boys collected 1,211 pounds of food — the largest food drive of the year to date. Each month, the two locations of the JFS Food Pantry are serving 600 individuals and families combined. The Scouts’ effort will help the pantry meet the growing need for food in our community.
Eric and Danny Martin attend Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, Shaefer goes to Brookwood Elementary School, and Danny Galler and Sam both attend Oxford Middle School. While several of the boys have been buddies since pre-school at the Jewish Community Center’s Child Development Center, this project drew them all closer.
Before the pandemic hit, the boys had toured the JFS Food Pantry with their Scout troop, so they were familiar with how it operates and its needs.
The boys decided to do drives in their own neighborhoods at the suggestion of Alice Capson, who has been working with them on their leadership in the Community Scout badge, and Troop Leader Brian Bell. As part of that badge requirement, Scouts must volunteer for eight hours or more at a nonprofit organization. Using Zoom, Bell worked with the boys to keep them engaged.
The boys recently conducted their drives over three weekends. Eric’s mom, Beatrice Fine, said working on the food drives allowed the boys to spend time together and do something good for the community.
“Each child stapled a flier to a bag, stating what day and time they would be picking up food,” Fine said. Price Chopper and Hen House provided them with bags to use. Then the boys hit the streets for food collection taking safety precautions.
“The boys were very impressed with the generosity of the neighbors,” Fine said. “Our neighbors seemed to appreciate the opportunity to give back. One family donated a 50-pound bag of dog food, which was challenging for the boys to navigate picking up and bringing back. The boys also had interesting discussions about what types of food items were donated.”
The boys followed up with a thank you note they wrote jointly, and Steve Fine reproduced it for them using their own handwriting.
Beatrice Fine said the boys had fun doing the food drives.
“I think the boys found it rewarding to do it together and have such an impact during these times,” she said. “It was probably one of the most memorable things they did this summer.”
Due to the pandemic, corporate food drives are down. JFS relies on these types of food drives to help pantry shelves stay stocked with a diversity of food items. Individual drives, like the Boy Scouts’ effort, are extremely important in meeting the increasing demand for food.
If you are interested in hosting a food drive, contact JFS Food Pantry Director Jo Hickey at or call 913-327-8250.
