Scouting For Food, which will be held on March 17th this year, celebrates the 32nd anniversary of the three local Scout Councils (Great Salt Lake, Trapper Trails and Utah National Parks) working with Utah Food Bank to Fight Hunger Statewide. This food drive, powered by 55,000 Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts from across the state, has provided the equivalent of over 18 million meals statewide since 1997 alone, and scouts hope to hit the 20 million meal mark with this year’s efforts! This food drive comes at a critical time when supplies at food pantries across the state are beginning to dwindle after the holiday season.
Participating is easy! During the week leading up to the food drive, residents across the state will receive a door hanger (or bag in some areas) to encourage participation. Fill any bag or box with non-perishable food items and leave it on your porch no later than 9:00 a.m., when Scouts will go door-to-door to pick up the food donations. If you live in an area that receives a yellow bag as a reminder in lieu of a door hanger, you can use that for your donation. Most needed food items include beef stew, chili, peanut butter, canned meats/tuna and boxed meals. All donated food should be commercially-packaged and non-perishable, and low-sodium and low-sugar nutritious items are especially appreciated. We request no glass packages as they have a tendency to break once collected. If you live in an area that receives door hangers and would like to support the effort financially, just take your door hanger to any Utah Smith’s Food & Drug Stores from March 16-19, where you can donate at check stands.
The filled bags are then delivered to Utah Food Bank, emergency food pantries and other designated drop-off points. YRC Freight, Xtra Lease, May Trucking, the Utah National Guard and Search and Rescue all help transport donations from drop-off points to Utah Food Bank’s emergency food assistance network.
