The Brunswick food bank, managed by volunteers and the city of Brunswick, is a food pantry relying on donations of food and money from citizens as well as other volunteer organizations in the surrounding area. 

One of these organizations is the Boy Scouts of America Troop 277 of Brunswick, Maryland, which is currently managed by Scoutmaster Mrs. Ann Zumbach. Troop 277 participates every year in a scouting for food quest. This is a food drive to raise donations for local food banks. This usually occurs by scouts putting flyers, formally plastic bags, on people’s doors and then collecting food afterwards. Troop 277, which currently has only nine scouts, has resorted to a format for scouting for food that better fits their smaller troop’s workload.

This format involved cooperation with Weis Markets who owned the store and shopping center off of Dutchman’s Creek Drive. Scouts would have tables set up at both entrances to collect donations and were very successful. This convenience worked for business within Weis if customers wanted to donate, after doing their own shopping, and helping the local community in need for the holidays.

Tenderfoot Scout, Julian O’Toole, was asked about this system and O’Toole said, “It was ideal not only for the food we raised but for the profit we brought in for Weis.”

These past two years however have been very difficult for the scouts as Weis Markets have prohibited the scouts from collecting donations around their entrances as well as in the parking lot. This has impacted the Brunswick Boy Scouts drastically as the thousand pounds of food they would usually collect has turned into only a couple hundred as of late. 

While the Boy Scouts struggle for donations for their food drive, Weis Markets however, set up a food drive on Nov 22, 2025 with WFRE Radio. WFRE, took the collectors and donations to the Frederick Food Bank, negating the Brunswick Food Bank of donations.

Troop 277 Scoutmaster, Mrs. Ann Zumbach said, “No one can understand Weis’ position or explain it to the scouts. This was a very disappointing experience to the boys.”

Another Brunswick organization with a community food drive turned down by Weis was the Brunswick Police Cadets. The Brunswick Police Cadets according to an article published by Kaitlyn Heck, introduces participants to police work and essential life skills. The organization, when starting talks with Weis, about a food drive to also contribute to the Brunswick Food Bank were denied permission.

Brunswick Police Cadet Fredrick (Fred) Heck said, “We tried to talk with Weis [Markets] and come up with a compromise that in turn would benefit the food bank,” Heck said, “Unfortunately, in the end, Weis [management] just wasn’t willing to cooperate.”