Brandon Kathman
Sr. District Executive
[email protected]
947-886-5736
Scouting for Food returns to Oakland County
Scouts across Oakland County are getting ready for this year’s Scouting for Food event, a
nonperishable food drive set to begin during the first weekend of November.
The Scouting for Food initiative, which is carried out in partnership with Gleaners Community
Food Bank, utilizes thousands of Scouts across the region in collecting essentials. These are then
distributed through the Gleaners network of charities. During the 2021 drive, Scouts collected over
112,000 pounds of food, though local organizers feel confident that this year’s drive will exceed
that.
For Clarkston Troop 189, the drive represents a proud yearly tradition. Assistant Scoutmaster
Dennis Weaver explained that cheerful service is an essential element of the Scouting program,
and the project represents a great opportunity to encourage a spirit of volunteerism in younger
generations.
“I hope the Scouts will gain a better understanding of how easy it is to do something nice for
someone else,” Weaver said. “Our Oath calls for us to help other people at all times.”
According to project coordinator Bob DeWar, the Scouts will distribute special bags to homes
across the county on Nov. 5, requesting that residents leave donations on their doorsteps for
pickup in one week. Scouts will then revisit those houses on Nov. 12 to retrieve bags filled with
canned goods, cereal, pasta, peanut butter, juice and other items in high demand, DeWar said.
DeWar expressed high hopes for the drive in Scouting’s local districts, as units in Oakland County
are among the fastest growing in the state of Michigan. In north Oakland County’s Pontiac-Manito
District alone, as many as 300 newly registered Scouts may participate in the drive for the first
time.
“Our local districts have experienced unprecedented growth in the last two months,” DeWar said.
“With more active Scouts than we have had since before the pandemic, we believe this drive could
be our largest in many years.”
Additional information about the drive can be found at: