Scouting for Food serves local needs during holiday season

On Saturday, Nov. 16, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will be hanging donation bags on residents’ doors as part of the annual Scouting for Food campaign.

All non-perishable items collected will remain at the local level, BSA Cherokee District Activities Chairman Amber Scudder said.

“Any non-perishable food item … canned goods, boxed dinners, canned soups, stews. Even dried items [such as] beans and rice. Any non-perishable item is always appreciated,” Scudder said.

The national Scouting for Food campaign has been in operation for several years.

“It has been a long, long time,” Scudder said.

How does the campaign work?

“On Nov. 16, scouts across the nation will walk door-to-door in several communities and place bags on doors. The bags themselves have directions on them. They [scouts] will go back the following week, Saturday the 23rd, and they will pick up the bags. The homeowner needs to fill them and leave them out that morning, and the scouts go around with a vehicle and pick up all of the bags that are filled.”

With scouting numbers continuing its decline, the campaign is even more vital during the holidays.

“Since we have lower registration numbers than what we have had in the past, we are unable to do all of the communities we are used to,” Scudder said. “For instance, Diehlstadt, Morehouse — some of those communities like that may not get hit up like they were. So, if somebody lives in those places and they want to donate, they can either reach out to a scout, or they can drop off [goods] at any of the three Food Giant [locations] in Sikeston. And there are several other places, like the Alliance Bank, MK Supply in Benton. We have boxes scattered throughout the county.”

Everything collected stays at the local level.

“Most of it in Sikeston goes right back to the Bulldog Pantry,” Scudder said. “There is another group that takes it to the SEMO Food Bank, and then all of the Benton ones will go to Unity Baptist Church. All of it stays here in Scott County.”