Rockville Centre scouts support hurricane victims

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The scouts of Rockville Centre Troop and Pack 163 held a food and household supply drive for the victims of Hurricane Sandy on Nov. 10.

More than 50 scouts and their families distributed flyers to the homes on their block and the surrounding area in a week-long effort. Each scout distributed flyers, which detailed the food and supply drive, to up to 60 homes each in Rockville Centre.

The scouts returned to the homes on Nov. 10 to collect the donations and then met at the Recreation Center. The scouts were able to completely fill five SUVs that were then distributed to the Rockaways, East Rockaway, Oceanside and Long Beach.

“Several scout families had direct contact with impacted communities and knew where to drop off supplies,” said Stephanie Bartoldus, Troop 163 committee chair. “We divided the donations evenly to each community, keeping in mind that places like the Rockaways could not cook things like pasta, but only possibly heat food like soup.”

According to Bartoldus, the food and supply drive for hurricane victims was derived from the drive that her family had done for years, primarily donating to the St. Agnes Parish Outreach program.

“This type of drive was perfect for our pack and troop, as it allowed our youngest scouts to be involved and help in their own way,” Bartoldus explained. “This type of food/supply drive was a service not only to the Sandy victims, but also to the community as it allowed RVC neighbors to donate to the hurricane victims without having to leave their homes, especially the elderly.”

Bartoldus said that the pack and troop leadership are continuing to discuss what other collection programs they can run for hurricane victims. She added that the pack and the troop have more than 100 families combined, and that the fundraiser worked because of collaboration between the two.

“Scouts did realize how bad it was out there, primarily from the other scout families who knew those who had lost their homes,” Bartoldus said. “[They] were very positive and enthusiastic.”