Catina Santoro sets book and food drives
By:Mary Ellen Zangara
Catina Santoro, a Cadette Girl Scout in Troop 861, has organized several collection efforts to help residents who need the services of the Resource Center for Women and Their Families and the Somerset County Food Bank.
Catina held the first of her three projects Jan. 15 at the Manville Public Library, collecting nearly 500 books for the Resource Center and a local nursing home. She will be back at the library Saturday, collecting more new and like-new condition books.
In addition to the books, Catina hopes some area residents will donate crayons and coloring books for youngsters at the center.
While Catina will be at the library from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., donations to her project can be made anytime before then.
"I plan to donate these books to the Resource Center for Women and their Families and a near by nursing home," she said.
Catina said she loves to read and thought it would be great to share her hobby with others. She even donated some of her books because she read them and thought someone else might appreciate them.
The next drive on her schedule is collecting new crayons and coloring books to be distributed to children.
"On Feb. 5, there will be a collection of new crayons and coloring books at the corner space between the Rag Shop and Wal-Mart stores from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.," Catina said. "These will benefit the children at the Resource Center and the Tot’s Room at Girl Scout Camp Dewitt."
She will be outside the stores at the Marketplace in Manville on that day and is excited to help the children so they could have something for them to keep them occupied.
Her last collection will take place at the end of February, also at the Marketplace Shopping Center.
"My third collection will be a food drive at the A&P in Manville," she said. "I will be taking canned food and nonperishable foods between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Feb. 26. These will be donated at the Somerset County Food Bank."
She chose a food drive because the food banks are always low on the food and she thought it would be a good idea to have some more food in February to distribute to people "who really need it."
The projects are part of Catina’s efforts to earn the Girl Scout’s Silver Award. In order to prepare for her Silver Award project, Catina had to complete several requirements.
She had to go to camp for a week, earn three Interest Project awards relating to the project Leadership, From Stress to Success, and The Food Connection. She also had to earn the From Dreams to Reality Award, the Cadette Girl Scout Leadership Award, the Leadership Interest Project Award, and the Cadette Girl Scout Challenge Award.
Helping Catina on the days with her book, food, and coloring books and crayons drives will be her Girl Scout troop but she also needs the community’s help.
Once all of the drives are finished, Catina will be sorting the items and giving them to the appropriate organizations.
"My main interest in these drives is to make a difference in people’s lives," she said. "I would like to thank in advance anyone and everyone for donating items, usage of facility spaces and time for my Silver Award project."

