Last fall while helping out at the Souper Bowl event, AC Reynolds High School student Nathan Sales approached me and asked if there was something he could do to help out Food for Fairview for his Eagle Scout project. We walked from the community center to the pantry, and once inside our gaze immediate fell upon the middle section of shelves in the building.
Once sturdy and attractive, the shelves had fallen into a state of disrepair due the weight of many years of holding canned goods. Indeed, the middle section on one side had collapsed altogether, replaced with flimsy plywood held in place by strips of wood. We immediately agreed that building new shelves needed to be Nathan’s project. We are very pleased to announce that our beautiful new shelves are now complete!
Nathan worked for many hours over Thanksgiving break to complete this project. Day one was devoted to building the shelves, while the majority of day two was spent painting. On day three, Nathan restocked the shelves after the paint had finally dried. Prior to the actual building, many hours of measuring and design work were completed.
Nathan was assisted by adult leaders Mark Carlson and Wilson Blankenship, as well as members of his Scout troop #53 of Oteen, NC, including Daemon Emile, Matthew Mongiovi, Will Kilmer, and Ryan Carlson. Many other friends and family members offered assistance as well as support and encouragement.
The results, as you can see in the photos, are spectacular. Not only are the shelves longer, providing more storage space, but the back section fits neatly between the two columns in the building, leaving more floor space available to navigate around the pantry. In addition to building the shelves, Nathan also plans to hold a drive to collect items to stock the new shelves that he built. We are so grateful for this truly wonderful addition to the pantry, and congratulate Nathan on completing his Eagle Scout project!
Food for Fairview’s Pantry