Historical February–March 2009 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Cub Scouts from Pack 98 were among the more than 30,000 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers who helped feed the hungry this past November as they collected 2.2 million cans of food during the 2008 Scouting for Food drive. Led by Pack 98 den leaders Kerry McEvoy, Rachel Boxdorfer and Karen Shaughnessy, the scouts covered the area bounded by DeBaliviere on the east to Parkview on the west, and from Forest Park Parkway north to Delmar.
The boys distributed bags on Saturday, November 15 and returned the following Saturday to collect canned goods and other non-perishables. “We got some maple syrup in our bag. Someone’s going to have pancakes for breakfast!” said Gavin McEvoy, son of den leader Kerry McEvoy and a student at St. Roch School on Waterman.
The collection went smoothly despite a near glitch when fellow cub scout Donovan Hill almost picked up someone’s groceries that contained their entire Thanksgiving dinner. “Oops, sorry,” said 9-year-old Hill, who is also a student at St. Roch.
As a reward for their hard work, Pack 98 scouts were treated to ice skating at Steinbergs Ice Rink in Forest Park.
The area food drive required the assistance of many individuals and organizations. “Several troops and packs dropped off at the firehouse on Vandeventer and Forest Park,” stated den leader Kerry McEvoy. “A service organization from St. Louis University worked at the firehouse packing up all of the canned goods as the boys brought them in from the trucks.” Sunset Transportation, Inc. of Sunset Hills provided vehicles, equipment, volunteer drivers and solicited the assistance of additional volunteers from trucking companies. Sunset Transportation coordinated all logistics for the food collection, which involved transporting boxed food from more than 40 area fire stations to the St. Louis Area Food Bank for distribution at more than area food pantries throughout eastern Missouri and southwest Illinois. “Our Scouts and leaders today were overwhelmed by the community’s generous response,” said John M. Primrose, Scout Executive and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater St. Louis Area Council. “Pantries experienced an increased demand for food assistance during the last few months. Families needing nutritional assistance during the coming winter months will have adequate food because of the generosity of our communities and the hard work of our Scouts and leaders.” The overall collection was 6 percent larger than last year’s drive.
The collection was only 20,000 cans less than the all-time high set in 2004.
The Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, has collected more than 37 million cans of food during the 24-year history of the drive.
Original photograph caption
Pack 98 scouts, from left to right: back row Owen Shaugnessy, Ian Shaugnessy, William Kramer, Matt Grady; middle row Luke Hart, Joe Schwartz, Mitchell Stephens, Gavin Mc Evoy, Donovan Hill, Ian Intagliata; front row Truman Stephens, Spencer Harvey, Zachary Harris, scout sibling Auggie Lodholz. Not pictured: Elia Barker, Jalen Blackmon, Christian Boxdorfer, Max Friesen, Christopher Gates, Anton Gudiswitz, William Kramer, Karl Lodholz, Nolan Lodholz, Charlie Mc Groarty, Eric Webster and Alan Wilson.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February–March 2009.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: Printed more than area food pantries lacks count; no number invented. William Kramer appears both pictured and not pictured in original caption; both preserved.
Original source: SD_Times2009_02.pdf, printed page(s) 3; PDF page(s) 3.
