On Saturday, October 4, Girl Scout Troops in Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson filled a tractor trailer truck with 13,795 lbs. of food for Loaves & Fishes. Earlier in the week, troops had gone door-to-door leaving bags for residents to fill with “A Can if You Can” of non-perishable food items. The scouts returned to collect the bags on the morning of October 4, taking the food to Huntersville United Methodist Church where it was weighed and sorted.

Of the 13,795 lbs. collected, 4,915 lbs. were taken directly into the Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry located at Huntersville United Methodist, one of the 17 pantries operated by Loaves & Fishes in Mecklenburg County.

The drive could not have come at a better time. September 2008 saw an increase of 33 percent in the number of people fed by Loaves & Fishes compared to September 2007. The food collected by the Girl Scouts will help feed hungry people well into the busy winter months. In addition to the pantry at Huntersville United Methodist Church, Loaves & Fishes also operates a North Mecklenburg food pantry at the Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson.

The drive was led by Belinda West, Meck 1 District Manager for the Girl Scout’s Hornets Nest Council and Food Drive co-chairs Missy Parker and Shelley Garrett.