Scouting for Food - 2012

In early November, 2011 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and leaders of the Goose Creek District of the National Capital Area Council took to the neighborhoods of Loudoun County in support of Scouting for Food. The mission of the service project is for Scouts to collect food items that will be given to families needing assistance within their local communities. This year, the Scouts delivered empty grocery bags to neighborhood homes on Saturday, November 5th, and collected food on Sunday, November 12th. In Loudoun County, Scouts collected food on behalf of Loudoun Interfaith Relief, LINK, Inc., Seven Loaves, Messiah's Market, and the Tree of Life Food Pantry. Over the last decade Scouts have realized a substantial increase in collections in Loudoun County - there has been a three hundred percent increase in food donation and delivery since 2001.

Started in 1988, the Scouting for Food project is Scouting’s “Good Turn” to the community. The Boy Scouts are responding to the ever increasing demand for basic needs assistance. Collecting a large stock of non-perishable food goes a long way to meeting the emergency food requirements of local agencies, not only during the holiday season, but well into next year. To fill this growing demand, the Scouts attempted to canvass nearly 70,000 homes this year. To make the food drive a success, Scouts not only go door-to-door collecting food. Scouts understand that their job is not over when they finish collecting the food. Many Scouts log additional community service hours working in the collection sites, unloading vehicles and bags, and sorting the food donations. At some of the donation sites food is repackaged within a week for distribution to their clients - no small task considering the large volume of food collected.

The Scouting for Food 2012 effort is complete!. Questions may be directed to Mike Perry and Stacey Noll and the division of territories may be found here. Results for the 2012 SFF campaign are avalible here.  Units that participated in food donation rallied at one of the five locations listed below and these are were our drop off locations for 2012.