Scouting for Food

Introduction

Scouting for Food began in 1988 as a national good turn for America and has continued ever since.

Flyers are distributed to houses in local neighborhoods by the cub scouts of Pack 251, usually on the second Saturday in November.  People are asked to fill shopping bags with non-perishable food and left out on their doorstep or curb by 9:00 am on the third Saturday, when they are picked up by the Scouts.

Food we collect benefits the Kilgore community.  A majority of food at local shelters – many thousands of pounds – is provided by the Scouting for Food Program, and food banks are reporting dwindling supplies and more clients than ever because of the current economy.  The flyers are distributed by Pack 251, and after the bags are collected we usually meet up with Troop 252 to collect all the food at one place.

Scouting for Food is one of our most important activities and the single largest community service project Scouting does each year.  It is not complicated, but it’s possible to mess it up.  Since we interact with the community, it’s important to get it right.

ALWAYS WEAR YOUR CLASS A!. This is both for safety and community visibility. People recognize your uniform and know you are there with Scouting for Food and not some other less desirable activity.

Logistics

We have several areas we cover, which may change due to current Pack membership.

One of the primary areas we cover are the neighborhoods south of Hwy 259, between Harris St. and Peterson Rd.

Guidelines

  1. This is the only event where 100% participation is critical.  If too many people skip, it is physically taxing on the scouts.
  2. Be prepared for flyer shortages.  Someone will be short a couple of flyers and will need to get them from somebody who has leftovers.
  3. We will pick a time when most people can distribute flyers together at the same time so you can fix flyer shortages more easily. All flyers must be distributed by Sunday afternoon.
  4. Attach flyers securely to each door.  Attach it to glass if possible.  If it falls off, it will look like trash, and that house will not know about the food drive. If you use tape, only tape to the glass or a metal door knob. Do not tape to the door itself as tape can damage the paint.
  5. Never let Scouts go out of sight or into people’s houses.  Watch for traffic.
  6. Do not ring doorbells.  If asked what he’s doing, each scout should know what to say.  “The Boy Scouts are letting people know about our annual Scouting for Food food drive.  If you wish to participate, please place a bag filled with non-perishable food on your doorstep next Saturday by 9am.”
  7. Do not skip any streets.  People will pick up food next week, and they expect we do every street on the map.  Also it can mean hundreds of pounds of lost food for people who need it.
  8. Have a check-out plan. People should not just go home once their assigned street is done because it’s possible some other poor Scout was stuck with too much to do.
  9. Have a way to communicate during the event.  A group text works great.
  10. Record attendance, service hours, and distance hiked.  For service hours we also need to know adults and sibling participants.
  11. Dress in full class A including blue pants (green for Webelos). Dress and appearance should be as good as possible.