Jefferson County Scouts will stop by local homes this Saturday (Nov. 21) to pick up bags of canned goods and other nonperishable food items to benefit area food pantries as part of its annual Scouting for Food drive.
“Everything collected in Jefferson County will stay in Jefferson County,” said Zoran Lazic, director of the Greater St. Louis Area Council Boy Scouts River Trails District, which covers Jefferson County’s 34 Cub Scout packs, 28 Boy Scout troops, 13 Venturing crews and 1 Exploring post.
Scouts left empty bags at homes on Nov. 14 and will return this Saturday to collect filled bags.
Local residents are asked to fill the bags with canned goods and other nonperishable food items and leave them on their porch before 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Lazic said there are more than 2,500 members in the county’s various scouting groups, and they all have the chance to participate in this year’s Scout for Food drive, the largest single-day food drive in the St. Louis area.
The Greater St. Louis Area Council started the food drive in 1985. Last year, Jefferson County Scouts collected 133,097 canned goods and other nonperishable food items.
Food collected this year will be donated to 17 local pantries, including the Arnold, De Soto, High Ridge, Hillsboro and Morse Mills food pantries, as well as Feed My People in High Ridge, the First Christian Church Emergency Food Pantry in Festus, the First United Methodist Church pantry in Festus, the Hillsboro First Baptist Church pantry, the Hillview Acres Good News Church pantry in House Springs, the Jefferson County Rescue Mission in Pevely, the Ozark Food Pantry in Festus, the Peace Pantry in Cedar Hill, Sister Christine’s Food Pantry at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Imperial, the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. John Catholic Church in Shady Valley, the Christian Outreach Center pantry in Hillsboro and the Salvation Army of Jefferson County, which has a community and worship center in Arnold.
Those who did not receive a bag or don’t have a chance to fill one for this Saturday may take canned food to any Regions Bank location from Monday to Friday, Nov. 23-27.