Orland Hills Scout aims for Eagle with TWC

Joe Clavio of Orland Hills sorts through more than 5,000 food and personal care items he collected for Together We Cope recently as part of his Eagle Scout project.Service to his community is the hallmark of Joe Clavio’s 11 years of involvement with Boy Scouts. The Orland Hills resident, now a junior at Andrew High School in Tinley Park, has given many hours to volunteer projects in the community.
     Last month he launched a special project in which he collected more than 5,000 food and personal care items for donation to Together We Cope as part of his Eagle Scout project. “I chose Together We Cope because it helps people in my own community,” Clavio said.
     Clavio organized his family and fellow Scouts to distribute an open letter to the community introducing himself and explaining his project: aiding the nonprofit that assists families in crisis from 22 south suburbs. Later, he organized a crew to pick up donations at several locations in the community. They picked up items his neighbors left on their doorsteps for him and they collected donations from shoppers leaving local grocery and drug stores. The result was thousands of food and personal care items and $235 in cash donations.
     According to Carol Ettema, food pantry director at TWC, it is community food drives like Clavio’s that sustain the pantry operation throughout the year. “It is especially gratifying when young people like Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts get involved with their community by helping their neighbors in need,” she said.