Vernon Girl Scouts organize stigma-free, totally anonymous food pantry
Vernon. The girls said they were excited to be able to help the entire community in their Bronze Award project.
Vernon /
| 30 Jun 2020 | 11:53
Vernon Free Pantry is stocked at its site at the Tracks Deli.(Photo by Janet Redyke)
Girl Scouts from Troop 96251 diligently prepare pantry items for display.(Photo by Janet Redyke)
Vernon Mayor Howard Burrell attended the food pantry’s dedication and commended the troop’s fine work. (Photo by Janet Redyke)
Six Girl Scouts with strong opinions recently brainstormed ideas for a service project to pursue for their collective Bronze Award. The youngsters from Girl Scout Troop 96251 agreed on the perfect project for these difficult times -- a stigma-free, totally anonymous food pantry.
The result is a new and permanent fixture out in front of Tracks Deli in Vernon.
The troop used the money they collected during their annual cookie sale to buy a secondhand cabinet and enough food supplies to fully stock the new pantry.
The idea was embraced by Vernon Mayor Howard Burrell and Parks and Recreation Director Mishelle Downtain. A dedication ceremony was held on June 26 at Tracks Deli.
“This is awesome,” Mayor Burrell said.
He expressed his pride in all the girls. As a child in a rural town in Mississippi, he said, he was forced by circumstances to get food for his family every week, picking up the rations in a wagon.
“As a child, it was embarrassing, and you get teased,” he said. “This pantry is stigma-free and anonymous.”
Mayor Burrell said that, with the recent pandemic and rise in unemployment, the need for food is extreme in Vernon and all of Sussex County.
The troop members said their project is great because it helps the entire community, and told how excited they were to give back. They chose a simple slogan that appears on the front of the pantry cabinet: “Give what you can, take what you need.”
Besides the usual shelf staples, a birthday box was included in the pantry cabinet. The scouts said the box contains all the items needed to make a birthday cake, if the need arises.
Troop 96251 members include Evelyn Bernard, Vanesa Curry, Mary Duffy, Reyna Monego, Alanna Riley, and Bella Serrano, and their co-leaders are Jennifer Monego and Renee Riley.