'Rockin' for the Food Pantry' in Ridgefield

Local scout, Jack Shields, is organizing a benefit concert and food drive to support the Ridgefield Food Pantry.

The concert will feature local high school bands who have donated their time and talent for the cause.

The needs of the pantry have been brought to the community’s knowledge in recent months. In past years the holiday food drives have collected enough goods to fill the pantry shelves through the spring and summer. However, this year the pantry shelves were running very low heading into March.

Tony Phillips, Director of Social Services, suspects that the brutal winter hurt the budgets of some families leading them to spend more of their income on heat and leaving less money for food.

Phillips said that the community does an exceptional job at supporting the pantry. Many groups contribute throughout the year; communities of faith, scouts, service clubs, individual donors, condo associations, realtors, Stop & Shop, Rotary Club, and more.

According to Phillips, there are approximately 100 households that rely on the food pantry between a 1-2 month period. This is a total head count of roughly 300+ individuals, depending on the month.

Phillips cited a recent report published by United Way that says there are about 300 Ridgefield households that are living below the poverty line. The report also says that another 800 households are living paycheck to paycheck and just above the poverty line.

The majority of these households include single seniors, families with three or more children and single parents. Many of the individuals have suffered recent job losses, or are still trying to recover from the recession. Others may be unable to work due to illness or being a full-time caregiver for a family member.

After learning about the Pantry needs, Shields decided to organize the “Rockin’ for the Food Pantry” concert. A Life Scout with Boy Scout Troop 76, Shields is a junior at Ridgefield High School and an Eagle Scout candidate. Nationally about 7 percent of all boy scouts achieve the Eagle Scout rank.

In order to achieve the Eagle Rank, the highest rank in scouting, the scout must meet several requirements, participate in a certain number of community service hours, hold leadership positions in the troop and ultimately complete the Eagle Project. The Eagle Project is a leadership project which benefits the local community.

“I am a musician and I knew I wanted to do an Eagle Project that would both benefit the town and be connected to music. The goal is to provide the Pantry with enough items to help keep it stocked through the summer months,” Shields said.

“Rockin’ for the Food Pantry” is being held at Jesse Lee Church, Martin Hall, this coming Saturday, May 2 at 7 p.m.

In lieu of an admission fee, attendees are asked to bring a minimum of 2 non-perishable food items (Stop & Shop gift cards are appreciated too) or personal care items from the below list that will go directly to the pantry:

• Perishable Food Items - Cereal, Jelly (all flavors), Oatmeal, Canned Fruit, Tomato Sauce (cans or jars), Canned Meats (tuna, chicken breast, ham/spam), Cooking Oil (small bottles), Crackers, Cookies, Fruit Snack Packs, Snacks/nuts/raisins (for kids lunches)
• Personal Care Items - Shampoo, Conditioner, Bar Soap/Body Wash, Toothpaste
• Toilet Paper, Cleaning Products, Laundry Detergent
• Stop & Shop Gift Cards are welcome too

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