The lifting, sawing, painting, sweating and building that had been going on for some time at the Kaladjikian house in Saugus came to a rewarding conclusion Friday in Newhall.
The Eagle Scout project Jerry Kaladjikian built for the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry, a new wooden platform for donations with stairs, was installed — and greatly appreciated by the local nonprofit, according to Joanne Ainsworth, executive director of the local food bank since January.
Kaladjikian had volunteered at the local nonprofit a few times after hearing about it from his scoutmaster, he said, helping with food sorting and distribution.

The recent Saugus High School graduate had seen firsthand how the space he was improving had become run down over time.
The hope is that the brand new bright white display next to the SCV Food Pantry’s frontage along Railroad Avenue will not just help with storage, but it might also help attract attention and perhaps most importantly, donations, for the food bank, which are in growing demand, Ainsworth said.


“So we were hovering around 3,000 people a month for a long time,” she said, referring to the pantry’s traditional service numbers. “And just with the recent economy and people trying to stay in their home, we were just serving a lot more clients.”
Shortly after Ainsworth joined, the pantry asked a consultant to look at their service numbers, and it was determined the number served had more than doubled to about 7,000, she said.
The new platform near its main entrance on Railroad Avenue replaces one that appeared to be rotting and structurally unsound, Kaladjikian said, and its concrete supports will definitely be sturdy enough to hold the 3-foot-tall plastic barrels that fill with donations from the community.
In addition to helping his community, the project also let him build, which was another interest of his.
Kaladjikian also enjoyed working on the project with Charlie Shines, who’s not a Scout but stepped up as Kaladjikian’s best friend since kindergarten; and Charlie’s dad, Steve, who works in the film industry in special effects and “had all the toys” they needed, according to Eddie Kaladjijkian, Jerry’s dad, who also was there to help Friday.


On Friday, Ainsworth said while dry-food donations are very necessary, a recent national mail carriers’ drive put the pantry in a good position in that respect.
But the growing costs of operations — everything from inflationary price hikes to insurance premiums — mean that monetary donations are vital to keeping the lights on and the refrigerator running, she said.
“It is super important and totally appreciated and then the only way we’re gonna stay open is through that increased and continued community support,” she said. “We’re doing great with food and that’s not a problem, but the monetary donations have gone down, so we really could use some support that way.”


The SCV Food Pantry is located at 24133 Railroad Ave. For information on how to help out, visit scvfoodpantry.org.