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Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts throughout the region collected food for county food pantries on Nov. 14.

This year Scouts collected 71,000 pounds of food, Scout official Steven Drake reported.

"We need every can of corn and bag of beans you collect," Amy Ginsburg, executive director of Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, wrote to Scout leader Steven Drake.

The nonprofit Manna Food Center is the main food bank in Montgomery County.

"Manna is experiencing a 25 percent increase in the number of families turning to us for help putting food on the table — and that's on top of a 43 percent increase last year," Ginsburg said. "As you probably already know, the Scouting for Food Drive is our most important food drive all year. [Scouts] collect more food for Manna than any other food drive, and quite frankly, without Scouting for Food, we simply wouldn't be able to distribute essential food to the thousands of hungry families who turn to us for help each month."

Montgomery County residents to march

in Thanksgiving parade

Montgomery County High School graduates are among the 225-member Towson University Marching Band who will participate in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Former Montgomery County High School students and members of the Towson University Marching Band participating in the parade include Courtney Viqueria, color guard, Damascus High School; Kristin Heverly, color guard, Damascus High School; Glenn Daniels Jr., baritone clarinet, Magruder High School; Elizabeth Owens, flute, Seneca Valley High School; Isabel Decolin, trumpet, James Hubert Blake High School; Danny Toussaint, trumpet, Rockville High School; Victoria Hawkins, alto saxophone, Poolesville High School; Shauna Colli, clarinet, Watkins Mills High School; Genevieve Yost, color guard, Rockville High School; Ana Martinez-Chamorro, trumpet, James Hubert Blake High School; Laura Cole, trumpet, Montgomery High School; Alexander Dolan, alto saxophone, James Hubert Blake High School; Andrew Mueller, alto saxophone, James Hubert Blake High School; David Irving, percussion, Rockville High School; Robyn Bingham, alto saxophone, Watkins Mill High School; Jason Forrest, baritone clarinet, Rockville High School; and Hilary Szeles, flute, Seneca Valley High School.

Holiday Giving Project accepting donations

Montgomery County is accepting donations of food, gift cards, gifts for children and/or cash as part of its Holiday Giving Project.

Interfaith Works, a non-sectarian nonprofit organization with more than 140 member and affiliated congregations that works to meet the needs of the poor in the county, is spearheading the project for the second year. The Montgomery County Volunteer Center, which ran the project for many years, continues to work closely with Interfaith Works on the effort, the county reported.

The project, which has been aiding low-income families for 30 years, accepts referrals for holiday assistance. More than 9,000 families were served last year.

Service opportunities include organizing a food, gift card or toy collection drive; sponsoring a family or families in a specific neighborhood/zip code; and volunteering at Holiday Giving Project distribution sites.

For more information on the Holiday Giving Project, go to www.iworksmc.org/holidaygiving.html. To donate online, visit http://www.iworksmc.org/s-donation.html, click on the Network for Good button and enter Holiday Giving Project in the Designation box.

To donate food, gifts or gift cards or to volunteer, contact Susan Klavon at Interfaith Works, 301-315-1094, or via e-mail at giving@iworksmc.org.

For more information about other ways to help during the holidays, call the Volunteer Center at 240-777-2600 or visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteer.

Help pets during the holidays

Local Long & Foster real estate agent Deborah Hartten is reaching out to help animal rescue groups this season.

The Kentlands businesswoman has organized "Warm Hearts, Happy Paws," an in-kind donation drive to benefit participating rescue groups that spend volunteer hours and dollars to foster pets and find them permanent homes.

Rescue groups including Lizzy's Lodge, McWag Rescue and the Montgomery County Humane Society are participating and have posted wish lists on Hartten's Long & Foster Web site, http://WarmHeartsHappyPaws.info.

Needed items run from leashes and pet collars to bowls, toys and blankets.

Drop off new or almost-new items through Dec. 13 at Banfield, The Pet Hospital of Gaithersburg, 218 Kentlands Blvd., and Maple Springs Veterinary Hospital, 14925 Dufief Mill Road in Gaithersburg.

In Rockville, two animal hospitals are also collecting donations: Kenhaven Animal Hospital, 12311 Wilkins Ave., and Nebel Street Animal Hospital, 12100 Nebel St.

Donations can also be taken to King Farm's Pawlitics, 404 King Farm Blvd., Suite 140; Pro-Feed Pet Nutrition Center, 5542 Randolph Road, and Plow & Hearth, Congressional Plaza, 1625 Rockville Pike.

Time to donate toys

The Kiwanis Club of Olney is collecting toys for needy children for the 25th year.

In addition to the annual donation to the U.S. Marine Corps' Toys for Tots campaign, which nationally accepts toys for the program, toys are donated to local organizations Linkages to Learning, the NIH Cancer Center, Georgetown University's Pediatric Unit, RICA, the Avery Road Women's Shelter, Urban Housing of Montgomery County, the Montgomery County Recreation Department, the Toby Town Recreation Site and Health and Human Services of Germantown.

Numerous church organizations, including Oakdale Emory United Methodist Church, also receive donated toys to give to need children.

The Kiwanis Club is aided in its collection by the Sherwood Key Club, the Boy Scouts, local businesses and other community organizations.

"We always look forward to this program that has been going on for 25 years," organizer Mike Green said.

Toys can be dropped off at any of the businesses assisting with donations, including all Sandy Spring Bank offices, the Toy Store in Olney, Fletcher's service center in Olney, Town and Country Vets, Olney Library, Sherwood High School and more. Some 80 to 100 collection boxes are located throughout the county.

For more information, call Green at 301-924-5374.

Helping hands at Hospice

Hospice Caring Inc. of Gaithersburg has a new director of children's bereavement.

Debbie Schechter, a lawyer and pastoral counselor, comes to Hospice Caring from the William Wendt Center for Loss and Healing in Washington, D.C., where she coordinated education, training and crisis response.

At Hospice Caring, she is responsible for expanding and overseeing the Good Grief Clubs, which are in-school bereavement support groups run by the nonprofit, as well as Camp Caring, Hospice Caring's weekend bereavement camp for children who have lost loved ones.

"We want to reach out to families that have had a death," said Schecter, who lives in the District. "People can see us as a resource."

To learn more about the programs, e-mail Debbie Schecter at debbies@hospicecaring.org or call her at 301-990-8904.

Items appropriate for this column should be sent to Judith Hruz, Editor, The Olney Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md. 20877; faxed to 301-670-7182 or 301-670-7183; or e-mailed to jhruz@gazette.net. Deadline is Thursday at 5 p.m. for consideration for the following week. Items are subject to editing and used on a space-available basis.

Federal, state and county offices are closed Thursday, Nov. 26, Thanksgiving Day.

Banks, libraries and courts are closed.

Montgomery County Public Schools administrative offices are closed.

No refuse or recycling collection. For remainder of week, collections will be provided one day later. County's waste transfer station is closed.

Ride On, Metrobus and Metrorail will operate on a Sunday schedule.

MARC trains will not run Nov. 26-27.

County liquor stores are closed.

Parking is free at county lots, meters and garages.