The Boy Scouts of America’s Greater Tampa Bay Area Council has announced this year’s Scouting for Food dates. Scouts will be collecting nonperishable food items for local food banks from Monday, January 6, through Super Bowl Sunday which is February 9.
“Last year, we collected a record amount of 51,939 pounds of food,” said Jeremy Twachtman, council district director. “We know that we can blow that number out of the water this year.”
Scouting for Food typically sees Scouts distribute door hangers throughout local neighborhoods, requesting that residents leave nonperishable food items on their doorsteps at a specified collection time. This year, some units may even partner with larger grocery stores to maximize their returns.
According to Twachtman, who directs the Scouting for Food program in the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council, the goal for the district food drive is to break each year’s previous record.
According to studies sponsored by Feeding America, Hillsborough County held an increasing rate of child food insecurity, and current events are believed to have exacerbated the crisis.
“As scouts, we know how fortunate we are to have a warm meal every night — whether around the campfire or at the kitchen table,” the district website states. “And we know that not everyone is so lucky. Scouting for Food is a food-collection drive where scouts get out into their neighborhoods and collect food items to be delivered to families in need. It’s another reminder to our local communities that scouts are here, doing good turns.”
Between the dates of January 6 and February 9, Scouts will distribute door hangers to local homes in their community to let them know about the drive.
On or before February 9, Scouts will revisit those houses to pick up bags full of canned food, cereal, pasta, peanut butter, juice and other nonperishable items. The food will then be delivered to food banks across the district.
In previous years, the Timucua District units elected to donate to Seeds of Hope, the St. Anne Food Pantry, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and many others.
For more information on Scouting for Food, visit https://tampabayscouting.org/.
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