'Purrfect' Together: Lions & Brownies & The Calico Cat!

'Purrfect' Together: LIONS, BROWNIES & THE CALICO CAT!

Brownie Troop 61230 Joins Middletown Lions Club For Harvest of HOPE Community Outreach Initiative To Support Struggling Food Pantries

Middletown, N.J. (Monmouth County) – The Calico Cat Cupboard & Pantry received a pleasant surprise from the Middletown Lions Club and Village Elementary School Brownie Troop 61230 in the form of desperately needed donations of food. The 3rd grade troop, led by parents Helen Barvels and Kim Germin, decided to run a food collection drive when members of the troop heard about the Middletown Lions Club Harvest of HOPE Community Outreach Initiative, a service project created specifically by the club to help struggling food pantries in the area. “Assistance programs have been heavily strained, and cupboards nearly depleted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated Middletown Lions Club President Beverly Bova Scarano, noting the purpose is to help local food pantries replenish supplies which provides essential support to meet a “demand the likes of which has never been seen before for people who had never before needed to ask for help.” HOPE in this case is an acronym for ‘Helping Other People Excel,’ explained Bova Scarano, who recognized the heartfelt efforts of the Brownies with certificates at the food collection event. “I am thrilled that the Brownies heeded the call for help and designated collection efforts to benefit The Calico Cat Cupboard and Pantry, one of the local recipients slated for support through the Lions outreach project.

In addition to collecting food for local pantries, the Lions Club also collected items like tents, sleeping bags, blankets, coats, hats and other cold-weather supplies for chronically homeless individuals and families who are forced to live outdoors. Donations from this part of the outreach project benefit Destiny’s Bridge, operated by Minister Steve Brigham.

The entire project was humbling and heart-warming, according to Bova Scarano, who was amazed at the amount of support from individual members of the community, civic organizations, and businesses. She described the participation as “such an outpouring and so many donations that collection boxes at drop points such as Middletown Reformed Church and Investors Savings Bank were consistently full and literally overflowing.” For more information or to make a donation, contact Beverly Bova Scarano at (908) 896-1682 or email her at beverlybovascarano@verizon.net.

The Calico Cat Cupboard & Food Pantry is located at 96 Kings Highway, Middletown, N.J. 07748. The telephone number is (732) 671-0550.

Chartered in 1946 under Lions International, the Middletown Lions Club is an all-volunteer service organization consisting of men and women who help the community through various charitable service and fundraising initiatives and programs. The club assists individuals and families in need both locally and globally through their unique 501C3 foundation, The Middletown Lions Club Foundation. Lions the world over are known as ‘Knights of the Blind’ and were challenged directly by Helen Keller to dedicate themselves to the cause of blindness. The Middletown Lions Club underwrites a charitable community initiative that provides free eye exams, eyeglasses and hearing aids for those who cannot afford them and who meet specific financial criteria. In addition, the all-volunteer vision screening team, the ‘Knights of Sight,’ provide free vision screenings for elementary school children in local school districts. Members also volunteer directly at the Bayshore Lunch Program in Keyport, N.J. and support local food pantries, emergency feeding programs, charitable organizations, and social support initiatives in the area. More information is available on the club website, www.mlions.org.

Photo: Middletown Elementary School Third-Grade Brownie Troop 61230 receives recognition for a very successful food collection drive to benefit The Calico Cat Cupboard & Pantry, Middletown.