It’s that time of the year again. Bells are ringing, snow is falling, and more families are hungry.

With the rising cost of fuel, and the accompanying rise in food prices, more families are turning to food pantries to keep from starving.

Denise Dunham, founder of the Mt. Ida Community Food Pantry in Troy, NY, says that the number of families who depend on them has more than doubled in recent months. Last August, the Food Pantry fed 8 families per week. Now, they are feeding over 20 families, and more are coming each week.

Hunger 101 Patch Program

Ms. Dunham was the featured speaker at our Girl Scout Service Unit’s Hunger 101 Patch Program (click to find an extensive resource list for learning about and fighting hunger.)

A lot was packed into a short 1.5 hour program.

First, Brownies performed a skit showing how many depend on soup kitchens, food pantries, and food banks to feed their families.

Second, Denise Dunham described how the Mt. Ida Community Food Pantry was inspired by one hungry little girl who brought a pack of Ramen noodles to church and asked for help in cooking it.

That little girl hadn’t had anything to eat for more than a day because the only meals that she could count on were the ones offered in school. And she wasn’t alone; as she sat eating the noodles, other kids asked if they could have soup as well. So, the next week, volunteers started bringing food to feed the hungry.

This program has grown over 9 years to be an important source of food for hungry families in Troy.

Every Saturday at 10AM, the Food Pantry starts out by filling the shelves that are left empty in 2 hours. Some items that go fast: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese; canned dinners; pasta; canned fruit; and canned tuna. Simple meals that can be easily prepared are the most popular.

The funding for this program also goes quickly.

Ms. Dunham explained that the Food Pantry receives some funding from the government, usually in July, but that is spent by November. From November to June, the Food Pantry depends on donations.

However, there are restrictions on financial donations and sometimes they can’t be used to purchase some of the necessities (see Comments for more detail.)

Some of the necessities that families get at the Food Pantry, and that usually can’t be purchased with food stamps include: diapers, sanitary napkins, razors, toothpaste, soap (body, dish, clothes,) tissue, and cough drops.

Third, a Junior Girl Scout who is working on a project to fight hunger for her Bronze Award, read aloud the Reading Rainbow Book Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan.

Afterwards, the girls were split into three groups that rotated through three centers:

1. Food Stamp Grocery - Girls learned what can and cannot be purchased with food stamps. This was illustrated by giving the girls “food stamp dollars” that they used to purchase goods (empty boxes.)
2. Place mat Cheer - The girls decorated place mats to be used to share warm wishes at the food pantry.
3. Ornaments - The girls made (paper) Gingerbread ornaments to donate to the Northeast Regional Food Bank for the Holiday Hunger Appeal.

Of course, a Girl Scout event would not be complete without a collection for a worthy organization. This time, the girls collected toiletries for the Mt. Ida Community Food Pantry.

If you would like to help with a donation, food drive, or food pantry volunteer work, please contact the Mt. Ida Community Food Pantry, 560 Congress Street, Troy, NY, 12180 or call 518-272-1115.

Find more information and links about hunger at:

Learning About Hunger

Other Living By Learning posts about Girl Scouts:

Girl Scouts Mix It Up!
Inspiring Girl Scout Leaders and Entrepreneurs
Girl Scouts Help Save the Earth
Be a PAL - Protect A Life Patch Program

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.