Local Scouts Issue One Million Pound Challenge to Feed Area’s Hungry
Nearly 700,000 Residents in Need as Scouts Begin 30th Annual Food Drive
National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America will be kicking off the 30th annual Scouting for Food early next month. Scouts will distribute bags to homes throughout the DC metro area, then return to collect non-perishable food items that will nourish the area’s hungry.
Scouting for Food is one of the largest annual food drives in the metropolitan area. Last year Scouts collected one million pounds of food, and this year’s goal is to top that. Capital Area Food Bank and other local food banks will use these items to help with its distribution of 45 million pounds of food – equivalent to 37.5 million meals – to 478,100 people through a network of 500 partner agencies and direct service programs. Scouts of all ages will be distributing plastic bags to homes on Saturday, November 4th, and return to pick up the food on the morning of Saturday, November 11th.
“More than thirty million Americans, including six million children, go hungry at some time every month,” says Les Baron, CEO and Scout Executive of the National Capital Area Council. “We cannot help those children be ‘Prepared. For Life.’ if they do not know where breakfast is coming from. Scouting for Food helps these families while teaching our Scouts the value of serving the community.”
Scouting for Food is held every fall prior to Thanksgiving. Local food banks rely on it to stock their shelves for the upcoming holiday months, when food demands are the greatest. Items in highest demand include: canned protein (tuna, salmon, chicken, peanut butter); soups and stews (beef stew, chili, meat-based soups); 100% fruit juices (all sizes); grains (pasta, whole grain pasta, rice, brown rice, boxed macaroni and cheese); cereals (multi-grain, low sugar cereals, oatmeal); canned vegetables; canned fruits; condiments; and hygiene products (diapers, toilet paper, tissues, soap, toothpaste).
Scouting for Food is co-sponsored by Capital Area Food Bank, the Safeway Foundation, WTOP, and WUSA9.