Scouting for Food Drive ready for 27th year

Posted 10/28/14

Thousands of Scouts from across the region dropped off door hangers this past weekend asking their communities to donate nutritious, non-perishable food items to this year’s Scouting for Food …

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Scouting for Food Drive ready for 27th year

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Thousands of Scouts from across the region dropped off door hangers this past weekend asking their communities to donate nutritious, non-perishable food items to this year’s Scouting for Food drive. Scouts will be collecting donations this Saturday, Nov. 1 beginning at 9 a.m. and ask that all food items be placed in a bag and left in an accessible area for pickup.  Donations will be sent to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank to help provide valuable nourishment to families in need.

“We are looking forward to another successful drive,” said John Mosby, Narragansett Council scout executive. “This event plays a fundamental role in the Council’s commitment to the community.”

Since the first Scouting for Food drive in 1988, Scouts from the Narragansett Council have collected more than 8.5 million pounds of food for Rhode Island and its surrounding communities. Last year alone, more than 231,000 pounds of food were collected and delivered to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and other local food pantries.

“We encourage the community to remember those in need and to give generously so we can reach record numbers for this year’s food drive,” added Mosby.

Each month, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank feeds more than 63,000 people per month. According to the USDA, nearly 15.4 percent of Rhode Island households are lacking food and 5.5 percent are at risk of going hungry.

Scouts from over 200 different Packs and Troops delivered door hangers on Saturday, Oct. 25 to neighborhoods throughout Rhode Island. This Saturday, Nov. 1, Scouts will return to collect donations, starting at 9 a.m. Scouts encourage donors to fill bags with the Food Bank’s most needed items:

Canned Soup, Tuna, Canned Meats, Peanut Butter, Nuts

Canned Fruits & Vegetables, Dried Fruit, Tomato Sauce

Nutritious Breakfast Cereals, Whole Wheat Pasta, Rice

Granola Bars and other healthy snacks

Canned or Dried Beans

“The Rhode Island Community Food Bank values its long-term partnership with the Scouts. Each year, we know we can count of their hard work and dedication to help local families at risk of hunger,” said Andrew Schiff, chief executive officer of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. “This event is a great example of working together as a community to help our friends and neighbors who are struggling get by on extremely low incomes.”

Scouting for Food is the largest food drive in New England.  It is a cooperative effort supported by the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, WPRI Channel 12, FOX Providence, the Rhode Island Army National Guard, The Valley Breeze and several area fire stations.

If the Boy Scouts are not able to cover your neighborhood, please visit www.rifoodbank.org/getfood to find a food pantry near you, or drop your donation off at the Food Bank, 200 Niantic Ave., Providence, any weekday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank is a non-profit organization located in Providence. In the past fiscal year, the Food Bank distributed 9.9 million pounds of food to its statewide network of 169 member agencies. For more information about the Food Bank, please visit www.rifoodbank.org.

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