DAPHNE, Ala. — Anyone who believes a single person is incapable of making a difference in a situation that affects millions of people worldwide has never met Taylor LeMaitre.

LeMaitre, an Eagle Scout candidate with Troop 109, decided to tackle the issue of hunger in his own backyard by organizing a communitywide food drive benefiting the Prodisee Pantry as his Eagle Scout project.

“I have done volunteer work at the Prodisee Pantry for many, many hours, and I have seen all of the people and their needs,” LeMaitre told members of the Spanish Fort City Council during the Oct. 19 meeting where he requested the body’s endorsement and clearance to proceed with the weeklong project concluding Saturday.

LeMaitre and his fellow troop members will be distributing bags and boxes to neighborhoods and businesses this week for collection and delivery to the pantry Saturday. The goal is to collect 1,800 nonperishable items, or roughly three times the amount collected at the average food drive, LeMaitre said.

Prodisee Pantry, based in Spanish Fort, is the largest emergency food program in Baldwin County, providing some 600 families each month with staple groceries and referrals for other needed services.

“Taylor approached us with this idea, and we just couldn’t be happier that he chose our organization to support with his time and his energy. He is a wonderful, service-driven young man, and it is amazing what he is doing to raise awareness about hunger, especially as the need continues to increase,” said Prodisee Pantry Executive Director Deann Servos.

Indeed, family visits to the pantry during the summer totaled 1,800 — translating to 4,914 individuals served — and Servos said those figures represent an 81 percent increase in the number of families receiving services compared with 995, or 2,961 individuals, during the summer of 2008.

In October alone, the organization served more than 800 families, and Servos said pantry volunteers expect those figures to skyrocket during the holiday season.

“During the entire holiday season we anticipate serving 2,000 families with both standard staple grocers and special holiday foods, and that’s a conservative estimate,” said Servos, noting the agency served 1,700 during November and December of 2008.

That figure, she said, included the distribution of some 1,600 turkeys, and the pantry will resume its Turkey Tree promotion again this year, whereby, patrons can sponsor a turkey for a family in need for $15. Monetary goals of $25,000 and $30,000 have been set for November and December respectively, Servos said.

“Taylor’s project couldn’t come at a better time for us because we know we’re going to see a significant increase in volume this year. The economic downturn is going to take a while to fix, but we have an opportunity to boost spirits and help alleviate some of the suffering,” Servos said.

LeMaitre said one reason he chose this particular path was to “gain experience in organizing and supervising the largest project I’ve taken on yet.”

LeMaitre and his fellow troop members spent the earlier part of this week affixing flyers to boxes and grocery bags for distribution across the city. The boxes dropped at businesses will be collected Friday, and scouts will be transported through neighborhoods between 7 and 10 a.m. Saturday to collect the individual paper bags. Meanwhile, another team of scouts will remain on hand at the pantry to sort donations as they arrive.

In addition to organizing the scout shifts — for which each boy will receive his own service hours — LeMaitre also organized adults to drive through the neighborhoods for pickup.

“I understand that we’re all struggling in the current economy; however, there are twice as many families facing hunger (locally) this year compared to last year,” reads LeMaitre’s flyer. “Please help me with my Eagle project by taking an active role to fight hunger right here at home.”

The pantry will also accept drop-off donations — credited to LeMaitre’s project — between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday.

Since its founding in November 2003, the pantry has served more than 18,000 families and more than 52,000 individuals.