A Scout Project That Will Keep Serving Our Community

Some of the most meaningful community projects begin with a simple question: What can I do to help?

For Arnav Anand, a rising senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South and a member of Scouting America Troop 40, the answer was to make food more accessible to neighbors experiencing food insecurity.

For his Eagle Scout project, Arnav led the construction and installation of two Little Free Food Pantries in West Windsor. He installed a new pantry at the West Windsor Senior Center and rebuilt and replaced the pantry at the West Windsor Arts Center. The project was completed in partnership with Send Hunger Packing West Windsor-Plainsboro, or SHuP WW-P.

The Eagle Scout rank is the highest achievement in Scouting America. It requires a Scout to identify a community need, develop a plan, organize volunteers and resources, and lead a significant service project through completion.

Arnav did exactly that.

Working with SHuP WW-P, the Township, the West Windsor Arts Center, fellow Scouts, family members and community volunteers, he turned an idea into a lasting resource. His project is a strong example of community activism: recognizing a problem, bringing people together and creating something practical that will continue helping others.

Addressing Hunger Close to Home

Food insecurity is sometimes discussed as though it is a distant problem. It is not.

Families in our own community can face periods when housing, utilities, medical bills and other necessities leave too little money for food. Those circumstances are not always visible, but the need is real.

I have previously promoted the work of SHuP WW-P because its volunteers do more than provide food. They create opportunities for neighbors to help neighbors through food pantries, backpack meal programs, community collections and public awareness.

Arnav’s project strengthens that work by expanding West Windsor’s network of SHuP-supported Little Free Food Pantries to three locations:

• West Windsor Senior Center, 271 Clarksville Road

• West Windsor Arts Center, 952 Alexander Road

• Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church, 154 South Mill Road

The pantries are available around the clock and operate according to a simple principle:

Take what you need. Leave what you can.

Residents can donate unexpired, non-perishable foods such as canned goods, pasta, rice, cereal, peanut butter, soup and shelf-stable milk. Adding just one or two extra items during a grocery trip can make a meaningful difference when many people participate.

An Example for Others

Arnav’s project should also inspire us to consider how each of us can contribute.

Community service does not always require creating a new organization or launching a major campaign. It can begin by identifying one unmet need, partnering with people already doing good work and offering your time, skills or resources.

Scout troops, school clubs, houses of worship, neighborhood groups and other community organizations already offer many ways for people to volunteer and contribute without having to start something new.

Arnav identified a real need and turned his concern into action. He also demonstrated that youth leadership is not something we should simply encourage for the future. Young people are already leading and improving our community today.

Congratulations to Arnav on completing a meaningful Eagle Scout project, and thank you to everyone who helped make it possible.

The pantries have been built. Now it is up to all of us to help keep them stocked.

Take what you need. Leave what you can. And whenever possible, find your own way to serve.