By Richard L. Gaw, Staff Writer

Lisa Goodale-Brinton of the Chester County Food Bank told a group of local scouts this past Saturday morning that what they were about to do was among the highest causes on the planet.

Although Goodale-Brinton's words may not have truly resonated with young boys armed with shovels and hoes, it mattered very little, because there are now several beds in the community garden at Goddard Park in West Grove that are filled with plantings that, when harvested this fall, will end up on the tables of those who need it most.

Under a joint collaboration by the Food Bank and Suzanne Smith from London Grove Township, scouts from Boy Scout Troop 191 and Cub Scout Pack 54 – with a little help from their parents and volunteers – spent more than two hours planting broccoli, cabbage, Swisschard, dill, cilantro and basil which will be donated to The Bridge Food Pantry for distribution to families in Chester County.

Later this month, lettuce and turnips will also be planted. Enriched soils that were used in the plantings were donated by Hyponix Corporation in Oxford.

Goodale-Brinton said that the Food Bank serves approximately 70,000 families in the county, and helps maintain more than 125 garden sites throughout the county. All the plantings at Goddard Park will be cultivated organically.

"One of the things that excites me most about the Food Bank is that they have embraced organic agriculture," she said. "When you grow your food organically, you are not using toxins which will kill the microorganisms, so you're getting food that is much more nutrient rich."

Daniel Perry, pack leader for Pack 54 in West Grove, said that the division of labor throughout the growing of the plants – such as weeding and watering – will be divided for the remainder of the summer by individual scouts and their families.

"One of the biggest reasons we're doing this is that it helps the community, and that's always been one of the goals of the Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts – to show the boys that they can help the community, if given the opportunity," Perry said. "Another benefit is that the boys have requirements for their rank, and one of them is to do a gardening project and take care of it all year long. The benefit for all of us will be in seeing what they have been able to do at the end of the year."

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail [email protected] .