Scouting for Food

Our Scout Oath calls on us all “to help other people at all times.” Scouting for Food is one of the many ways that Scouts do that, it has a special place in the Scouting experiences of many. Additionally, one aim of Scouting is participatory citizenship; helping to take care of the community. When coupled with the promise “to help other people at all times,” collecting food for distribution to the needy gives units and Scouts a positive role in helping everyone in their community, not just the Scouts and their families. It also gives Scouts the satisfaction of participating in something much larger than themselves, of doing a good turn. 

When asked, one Scout replied, “It feels good, because you’re helping somebody.” This act of service is a reminder of the power and importance of Scouting to our communities and also serves to demonstrate to those outside our program that Scouting is more than just outdoor adventure, according to our chief scout executive. It’s about developing character in youth so they can make a difference in the many places they call home.

The Boy Scouts identified hunger as one of five “unacceptables.” Missed or incomplete meals have their greatest impact on growing children, veterans, and the elderly. Hungry children often worry more about empty stomachs and empty refrigerators than they do finishing their homework. Food insecurity affects almost one in six Arizonans, a total of more than one million residents, according to the Arizona Department of Economic Security. This is higher than the national averages. Food insecurity means they may lack access to or the ability to afford enough food to feed everyone in their household. 

According to data released in 2016, more than one in four Arizona children worry about their next meal. Sometimes free school lunches are the most dependable food supply for children, a shocking fact. Food collected in metro areas is often routed to more rural areas where the need is the greatest. Apache, Navajo, and Coconino counties had child poverty rates of 41%, 38%, and 35%, respectively, according to U.S. Census Bureau information released in 2016.

Scouts can participate in one or more ways. The individual unit will decide which approach or approaches it wishes to take, but parents or responsible adults can place a collection box at work. Some units may choose to use more than one approach to collecting food, and that is probably the most effective plan:

• Units can target an area for a collection effort. They spread out through the area and go door-to-door one weekend or during regular meeting hours and  leave a door flyer requesting a contribution be left out the following Saturday. The Scout or unit can repeat the process of going door-to-door the next Saturday to collect the food from the porch.  The flyer may ask the donor call the individual Scout’s parent to collect the food within a short period time, such as a week or less. 
• Or, individual Scouts can visit 4-5 of their immediate neighbors to collect food. If they miss the neighbor, they can leave a note asking that the neighbor call the Scout to come back and collect the food.
• Scouts can place collection boxes at their chartering organization, religious institution, or school. If permitted, they can make a short presentation on the nature of Scouting for Food and its importance in helping the needy. 
• Some units combine their Scout Sunday/Sabbath/Jumuah activities with a canned food drive at services, and announce collections the prior week.
• Parents or guardians can place collection boxes at work and encourage coworkers to bring in food and put it in the boxes.

As much as you can!

A great starting goal is 12 cans of food per Scout, which works out to about 15 pounds. If each of our 10,000 registered Scouts collects 15 pounds of food we can deliver over 150,000 pound of food for the needy in Arizona. That will make an impact on hunger in Arizona, it will put Scouts in the eyes of the community, and it may even encourage some to join Scouting. We will know we have done something large and beneficial. Of course, Scouts are not limited to collecting 15 pounds of food. In fact, the more the better.

Participants should collect non-perishable food. These foods are listed on the door hanger, as well as through this link.

The best foods to collect include:

• Beans – pinto, refried
• Canned vegetables
• Canned soups, chili, stews
• Peanut Butter
• Meat and meat alternatives – canned tuna, chicken
• Rice and pasta
• Milk – canned or dried
• Cereal and oatmeal

Door flyers are available on this webpage under resources to your left. 

You may use the fillable PDF to enter your unit number, chartered organization, and a leaders contact information so that missed donations may be collected the following week. 

You may also use the Word document to edit the date(s) of your collection, add recruitment information, or customize the flyer as necessary. 

Grand Canyon Council no longer prints flyers in bulk for all units to pick up from council. It has become impossible to predict how many thousands of flyers may be necessary for the entire Council, leading to excesses and shortages year after year. It is also much easier for units to add their contact and recruitment information then print out personalized flyers as needed, as opposed to handwriting them on pre-printed general flyers from Council.

A new form will be added here closer to the SFF campaign date.