Scouting for Food is the nation’s largest single-day food drive. Scouting for Food began as a service project for the St. Louis Area Council in 1985 and was adopted by the National Organization in 1988. This year marks the 20th year of this great event. Every November, thousands of scouts and adult volunteers spend two Saturdays doing a “good turn.”
Saturday, November 1, is Bag Distribution Day More than 700,000 plastic bags will be hung on doorknobs in Central Florida.
Saturday, November 8, is Collection Day Scouts return to pick up bags filled with donated canned goods which are then distributed to Second Harvest Food Bank and other local food pantries within the district in which the food is collected.
Why do we participate in Scouting for Food?
As an organization, the Boy Scouts teaches youths the value of helping others and to give back to their communities. By collecting food for people in need throughout Central Florida, Scouts are “doing a good turn” and “helping other people,” which are key elements of the Scout Oath and slogan.
Where does the donated food go?
After the Scouts retrieve bags filled with canned goods, they deliver them to a local drop-off location where volunteers sort and box food. The food is loaded into a semi-trailer and driven to Second Harvest Food Bank or a local food pantry in need. Your donated food will help feed hungry people in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Brevard, Volusia and Flagler Counties.
In any given week, almost 54,000 people receive assistance from the Second Harvest Food Bank and an estimated 11 million meals are provided annually. In 2007, Scouting for Food collected more than 500,000 pounds of food for Second Harvest Food Bank and other local food pantries which provided over 350,000 meals to the Central Florida community.
Don’t forget to log-in your hours for Good Turn for America
