GRAFTON - Jared Linden knows times can be tough for the less fortunate during the holiday season.

So, when it came time to think of a project to help him achieve the title of Eagle Scout, he had a seasonal plan.

Midview High School student Jared Linden, 17, and Elyria Hospitality House co-director Bud Simmons.

Just before Thanksgiving, Jared, 17, asked his fellow scout members from Troop 135 in Elyria to help him canvass the Eastern Heights neighborhood and place fliers in residents` doors asking for canned food donations.

A week later, the Midview High student, along with his family, friends and troop members, went back to those same houses and to their amazement, collected more than 2,000 canned food items.

“It took us about two hours to collect the food,” Jared said. “It wasn`t difficult to do. It was just a matter of getting people to donate.”

But residents heard Jared`s call for help.

Now families in Elyria will be helped this holiday season.

All the food was donated to the Elyria Hospitality House, based out of St. Mary Catholic Church.

According to Hospitality House co-director Bud Simmons, the food could not have arrived at a better time.

“We`ve been short for a long time. We feed between 400 and 500 per month. We have been blessed with a lot of food,” Simmons said. “Jared is a special boy.”

Simmons said he was astonished by the amount of food Jared was able to collect and more amazed that he collected it in one day.

“I am pleased for him because it`s nice seeing kids help other people,” Simmons said. “We appreciate his effort.”

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