Submitted by Jim Garrett, Northern Light District Executive
The core tenets of Scouting not only include self-improvement, but service to others. In your local community there are families and senior citizens without access to food or the regular comforts which can so often be taken for granted.
As a Cub Scout, I remember showing up at a collection site where the Boy Scout Troop associated with my Pack had set up their drop-off point. My dad and I came to help sort the donations that were coming in throughout the day. Watching the older Scouts work, and helping them take individual donation bags and combine them into boxes was more fun than I could have ever imagined as a nine year-old. When we filled the entire bed of a pickup truck, I was amazed at how all this food had been collected, and there was still more streaming in – just from my neighborhood and the ones on either side of it.
I had no real idea yet what a District or Council was, but I knew there were more than just my Cub Scout Pack and this Boy Scout Troop collecting…and I couldn’t fathom how much food was being collected! To this day, Scouting for Food is my favorite of our service projects, because it highlights the impact a small group of people can have on a community, and a community’s impact can have on a larger population.
The Scouting for Food initiative is your opportunity to provide relief for those who need it most! On the first Saturday in November (11/7/15), Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and the many local volunteers will deliver Scouting for Food door hangers throughout their local neighborhoods. A week later (11/14/15), Scouts will return to collect the donated non-perishable food items left outside, and bring them to a centralized drop-off location within their community.
Non-perishable food and hygiene items are in greatest need. Some examples include
- Canned protein (tuna, chicken, peanut butter)
- Soups
- Grains (pasta, rice)
- Canned vegetables and fruits
- 100% fruit juice
- Hygiene products (diapers, toilet paper, tissues, soap, toothpaste)
Please avoid accepting glass items.
Door Hangers will be available for pick-up at your local Scout office or soonest District Roundtable. Click here to let us know how many hangers you expect to need, and where you intend to bring food to.
When distributing door hangers, be sure that your Scouts use the buddy system and have adequate Adult supervision. Determining and assigning distribution territory beforehand is highly recommended, and, naturally, make sure everyone is in their uniform!
Remember, distribute to residences only, skipping businesses or apartment buildings with controlled entrances or rules against solicitation. And, most importantly of all, DO NOT ENTER ANY HOME FOR ANY REASON.
For questions, please contact your District Scouting for Food Chairperson, your local Scout Office, or Staff Advisor Jim Garrett.
Make sure to register your unit and request your desired quantity of hangers from the following link:
http://scoutspirit.doubleknot.com/event/c-scouting-for-food-door-hanger-distribution/1784587
Your local food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens pantries do amazing work, but they can’t do it alone, so please grab ahold of this amazing opportunity to make a very real difference in someone’s life.