Boy Scouts Collect Food for Local Communities

Residents of Montgomery county, Philadelphia and Delaware county should be on the lookout Saturday, Nov. 9 for a bag with a Boy Scouts of America logo hanging off of their front door or sitting on their porch; the scout troops are continuing their annual food drive on Saturday to help feed local communities, and the scouts hope that residents will drop cans of food in those bags for the boys to pick up on Saturday, Nov. 16.

Scout troops from Montgomery county, Philadelphia and Delaware county comprise the scouts’ Cradle of Liberty council, which last year brought in over 312,000 cans of food from their Scouting for Food Project.

According to Michael Green, the district executive of the scouts’ Lafayette District, which is part of the Cradle of Liberty council, his district scouts plan to distribute about 70,000 of bags for this year’s project.

The Lafayette District encompasses Norristown, East Norriton, West Norriton, Collegeville, King of Prussia, Limerick, Skippack and Phoenixville, amongst other municipalities.

“It was great to see the look on the volunteers’ faces who work at the food banks, and how they appreciate what the scouts have done,” said Green. “You really see the community coming together to accomplish one goal. The volunteers who collect the food are happy to help the volunteers who spend their year helping others.”

On Saturday, Nov. 9, boy scouts in the region will walk through neighborhoods attaching bags to doors or porches; the bags have boy scout logos and instructions for the residents, who are encouraged to drop canned goods into the bags, which the scouts will collect on Saturday, Nov. 16.

The scouts ask that the residents place the filled bags outside for them on the night of Nov. 15. 

The Lafayette district has about 10 food banks where the scouts will bring their collection of canned goods, said Green.

The food that the scouts collect will feed their own communities. “The simple question is, can you help your community? Are you willing to do that?” asked Green.

For information about joining the boy scouts, visit beascout.org.