The Scouts in Boys Scout Troop 5 have been busy the last few months.

At a court of honor ceremony held Sept. 10, the boys recounted what they had done over the summer. Most of the members of Troop 5 had attended Camp Trexler, where they earned a variety of merit badges including archery, kayaking, citizenship in the nation and swimming.

During the program, Gavin Grim received recognition for earning his star rank. The Scouts also talked about their plans for the future, including a trip the Troop took in October to the Gettysburg National Military Park, where they finished the Gettysburg Heritage Trails Program by completing three different hikes, touring the visitor center and museum and touring President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s house.

In November, the Scouts collected non-perishable items for the annual Scouting for Food program. The collected food was then donated to Everlasting Life Ministries, Allentown.

On Nov. 3, both Cub Scout Pack 5 and Boy Scout Troop 5 and their families placed door hangers on homes surrounding St. Timothy’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ott Street, Allentown.

The door hangers asked community members to place non-perishable items on their doorstep in a bag to be donated to ELM the following week.

The following week, on Nov. 10, the boys and their families collected donations in the neighborhood. The Scouts collected 1,265 pounds of food about 100 more pounds than the previous year. The Scouts then drove to ELM where they donated the food.

The food collected will be donated to people in need in the Allentown area. Every week ELM distributes around 6,000 pounds of food to 120 to 150 families in the Allentown area.

ELM also provides free meals for the elderly on Thursdays.

The ministry also collects clothing to donate to the homeless in the Allentown area. The mission is to prevent anyone in the Allentown area from going to bed hungry.