North Allegheny junior's Eagle Scout project installs food pantry box in Millvale

Franklin Park’s Caden Currykosky wanted his Eagle Scout project to make an impact somewhere beyond just the North Allegheny area.

“I kind of wanted to do something that would help a lot of people,” said the NA junior.

After he posted a notice on Facebook seeking locations to build a food pantry box, businesswoman Danielle Spinola knew the perfect spot — outside her shop, the Abeille Voyante Tea Co., which is next door to the Millvale Community Library.

There already was a free food pantry box there, where people can drop off goods or take what they need, thanks to the work of a local Girl Scout group a few years ago. But it was “heavily used” and needed a fix-up, Spinola said.

Currykosky answered the call and on a recent Sunday afternoon, he, his family and 25 volunteers, including 12 of his fellow scouts, refurbished the existing pantry in front of her shop and added a new, bigger one.

They also cleaned a rundown lot behind the shop and library.

“The event on Sunday went extremely well,” said Currykosky of the Aug. 20 event. “We got a lot done, including the clearing of a field where grass will be planted so (the field) can be used by the local families.”

Currykosky, 16, was able to stock the pantry with a large variety of food items he had collected over the month in donations from local businesses and people.

They included volunteers from First National Bank, who collected funds to go toward the pantry. Una Biologicals in Pittsburgh also made a donation, Spinola said.

The pantry will provide non-perishable, canned or dry goods and even some hygiene items to anyone needing them. Spinola worked with Currykosky to make it even more practical by including meal kits.

“If you’re hungry, you’re not going to open canned carrots,” she said.

Easy meal kits will include chili or rice or beans. If a recipe calls for a refrigerated product, she is stocking a handy community refrigerator on the side of her shop with prepackaged ingredients for each kit. She said a box of macaroni and cheese is a great donation, but not if you don’t have the milk and butter to make it.

Many people in the area are in need. Spinola said. Children, families and the homeless are often seen at the pantry. One winter, a man came in desperate for something to drink. He had no microwave, nor a can opener.

She said even addicts may be looking for a quick sugary snack, which is better than the alternative.

“It amazes me how used it is. It shows there is a need. It could be filled multiple times a week,” said Spinola, who grew up in Millvale and now lives in Pittsburgh.

Currykosky said he intends to conduct a food drive in the fall. He wants to ensure the pantry stays stocked.

Donations can be canned food and meat, nonperishable items and even quick snacks such as granola bars and candy. Spinola also said can openers would be a great item to donate.

In addition to the pantry, the volunteers cleaned an unused part of the backyard behind the library and tea shop that was severely overgrown and needed to be rid of refuse, including remnants of construction materials.

“We cleared it all out, and they plan on planting grass and turning into a great backyard area for the community,” he said.

Spinola said Cousins Lounge donated food and drink to the volunteers that day.

Currykosky, who swims and is a member of the North Allegheny water polo team, has been in scouting for eight years, following in his dad’s footsteps, who also was a scout.

“One of his biggest regrets ever was not becoming an Eagle,” Currykosky said.

This encouraged him become an Eagle Scout, in addition to the benefits of the program.

“You are going to have skills that will really help in life,” he said.

Donations can be dropped off in the tea shop or the library, according to Spinola.