Cub Scouts Work Hard to Give Back for the Holidays

Greenport's Cub Scout Pack 51 braved the cold this past Saturday to hold its third-annual holiday food drive to support

Syndi Cusati, the pack's co-den leader, said that 12 cubs, wolves, bears, and webelos spent the morning at in Greenport collecting non-perishable items for holiday baskets and monetary donations.

"The boys collected 48 shopping bags of groceries," Cusati said. "This year, the boys also collected $125 in monetary donations. They used the money to purchase additional food items and a frozen turkey."

All of the items were delivered to Community Action of Southold Town on Monday.

"These boys worked exceptionally hard at raising money and food donations for our local food pantry, and this month they worked on what it means to be good citizens in the community and to live their lives through the moral character of scouting," said Brenda Donahue, another den leader. "By spending a few hours outside in the cold, raising food and money for those less fortunate, we reminded them how some people have no homes or food. They have come to appreciate how special their families are and that they should always be good citizens in their community and throughout their lives."

Cusati said that the experience is always heartwarming and told one story that particularly touched her. A local gentleman, down on his luck, looked at her son and apologized as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter and a nickel and gave it to him. As she thanked him and told him to please keep his money, she said he refused.

"I then told him that the food was going to Community Action of Southold Town, and he told me that was great because they are always good to him," she said. "Just that moment made standing out in the freezing cold worthwhile."

According to Cusati, this isn't the only project that local cub scouts are participating in this holiday season. Currently, the wolves are working on their "Operation Shoebox" project, whereby students fill shoeboxes with toiletries, candy snacks and other personal care items to be shipped to soldiers overseas. The bears are adopting soldiers as pen pals.

"It's so important for our troops to have a kind letter or a reminder from home that we all miss and support them," Donahue said.

For Christmas, the cubs are collecting unwrapped toys for Community Action of Southold Town in advance of their Dec. 1 Pack meeting. Cusati said that if anyone has a toy they would like to donate, they can contact her at 631-294-4796.