Scouts prepare for year’s largest food drive

Scouts across southeastern Michigan are preparing for their annual Scouting for Food event, a nonperishable food drive set to begin in early November.

The Scouting for Food initiative calls on thousands of youth to collect essentials for local food banks. Scouts will distribute flyers to homes in their communities on Nov. 6, requesting that residents leave donations on their doorsteps for pickup in one week. Scouts will then revisit those houses on Nov. 13 to retrieve bags filled with canned goods, cereal, pasta, peanut butter, juice and other items, according to project coordinator Bob DeWar of the Michigan Crossroads Council.

“Cheerful service is a keystone of the Scouting movement, and few service projects have such a profound impact on our youth as Scouting for Food,” DeWar said. “It is a cherished tradition in this council, and we only plan to expand it in the years to come.”

The drive is typically a massive undertaking, with flyers distributed to as many as half a million homes. The Michigan Crossroads Council will carry out this year’s efforts in partnership with Gleaners Community Food Bank, which will support drop sites in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties. Scouting volunteers collect and organize the food at these collection sites and prepare them for transport on Gleaners’ trucks. Scouts are also given the option to select a beneficiary of their choice, allowing youth leaders to consider options and make their own informed decisions.

“Michigan scouts and volunteers recognize that the success of this program is more important than ever in these unprecedented times,” DeWar said.

According to studies sponsored by Feeding America, one in seven children living in Michigan faces hunger, and the ongoing pandemic is believed to have only exacerbated this situation. With this in mind, the council has set a goal to collect and distribute over 100,000 pounds of food in 2021. DeWar said he is confident that, with the community’s support, they will undoubtedly exceed that figure. 

Additional information about the drive can be found at: https://michiganscouting.org/scoutingforfood/