‘One Can’ Hoping To Make It ‘A Rebound Year’ At This Year’s Labor Day Parade

By Eliza Hallabeck

Sitting down recently at The Bee’s office, Newtown High School graduate Breanne Lubinsky, Breanne’s mother Linda Lubinsky, and Newtown High School senior Spencer Erhardt reflected on the annual One Can Make(s) A Difference collection to stock FAITH Food Pantry.

“There is a high need this year for food,” said Ms Lubinsky, and thanks to Spencer taking charge of the drive from Breanne, who is attending Bryant University this fall to study entrepreneurship, the annual collection that takes place during the Labor Day Parade drive will go on.

For the fourth year the One Can Make(s) A Difference volunteers are asking residents to bring nonperishable food donations for the Sandy Hook-based food pantry to the Labor Day Parade on Monday, September 5. One Can volunteers will again be wearing orange T-shirts on the day of the parade and will make their way along the parade route to accept donations from eventgoers. Ms Lubinsky also said, as in past years, people can leave their donations by the side of the road in bags for volunteers to pick up.

One Can Make(s) A Difference is one of the groups registered to march in the parade. Its participants will walk the parade route collecting the donations, and everything will be delivered to the food pantry straight from the end of the parade route on Queen Street. (The route runs the length of Main Street, across Glover Avenue, and then turns left onto Queen Street. Everyone along the route will have equal opportunity to leave a donation.)

For his Eagle Scout project, Spencer, a member of Boy Scout Troop 270, has been working to build shelves at FAITH Food Pantry, and, he said, he thought overseeing the Labor Day Food Drive would be a nice “topper” for his project.

To build the shelves Spencer said he collected donations and materials, and is still working to collect both. To donate to Spencer’s effort to build shelves at FAITH Food Pantry, send e-mail to Erhardtsjr@aol.com.

Spencer said he hopes to have the shelves built and stocked by mid-September.

Ms Lubinsky reminded residents thinking of donating food items for the drive to remember to check expiration dates first.

While this is the fourth year for the food drive, Breanne and her mother both said the first year was the best year, as far as collecting items to donate to the pantry is concerned. In 2004, the first year for the drive, roughly 155 items were collected along Newtown’s Labor Day Parade route.

“We ended up getting four truckloads,” Breanne said of that first year.

Food donations have gone down for the last three years, but Ms Lubinsky said she hopes this year will be a “rebound year” for the food drive. She also said she hopes the drive will become a great tradition, “on top of another great tradition.”

Doing Something Good

Spencer is the first local student to take over the project from Breanne, who began the program while working to complete leadership hours for her Girl Scout Gold Award. It was never about awards or accolades, however.

“The Girl Scout award helped me think about doing something good, but it isn’t the main reason for doing this food drive,” Breanne told The Bee three years ago. A 2008 story about FAITH celebrating its 30th anniversary talked about how many people in Newtown and Sandy Hook continue to count on the pantry and its volunteers for some of their food. That, the teenager said, was the beginning of an idea that developed over the next few months.

“I’m doing this because hunger is a year-round thing,” she said in August 2008. “Many people think about hunger and collecting food during the holidays, but I want to do something now.”

With Spencer due to attend college next year, Ms Lubinsky said she hopes other students will come forward to work with her to keep the program going.

“I love having students come forward,” said Ms Lubinsky, “and use it as a leadership opportunity.”

During the Labor Day Parade One Can Make(s) A Difference volunteers will also come around with a can to accept money to donate to the pantry.

Making A Difference

If every person who attends the parade, Ms Lubinsky said, brought one can of nonperishable food, it would make a difference in the fight against hunger.

“There is a high need this year for food,” said Ms Lubinsky.

Breanne said people donating food during the parade could be helping the person sitting next to them or their neighbors at home.

Spencer pointed out that FAITH Food Pantry helps many in town, from what he notices from the amount of food coming and going to and from the shelves.

Food and dry goods donations for FAITH Food Pantry can also be dropped off Tuesdays between 10 am and noon, or Thursday evenings between 6 and 7:30 pm, at St John’s Episcopal Church, 5 Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook. The food pantry operates out of the basement of the church, but is open to all residents. It is not a religious-based organization.

The FAITH Food Pantry also accepts Big Y silver or gold coins, and monetary donations are always welcome.

To donate, send a check made out to FAITH Food Pantry, c/o Lee Paulsen, 119 Boggs Hill Road, Newtown CT 06411. For more information, call Mrs Paulsen at 203-426-5604.

Mrs Paulson, who is the director of the pantry, told The Bee recently that the pantry is in need of cereal, canned stews, pork and beans, pancake mix, toilet paper, and dish soup.