Local Scouts Work Together to Address Hunger in their Community

Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Venture Scouts and Explorers in Northern Light Council and 18 counties in northwest Minnesota started delivering food hangers to homes. This is to launch their 28th annual Scouting for Food drive on March 19 to help local food banks.

The scouts are working together with their community partner, Gate City Bank, to address the hunger issues in their community, as stated by Stephanie Sculthorp Skrei of the Northern Sky District of the Northern Lights Council of Boy Scouts. The Northern Sky District includes Traill counties and Cass in North Dakota and Mahnomen, Becker, Norman counties and Clay in Minnesota.

According to Inforum, the scouts collected more than 80,000 pounds of nonperishable food and more than 48,000 hours of service were provided last year during Scouting for Food in the Northern Lights Council by scout youth and adult volunteers, Sculthorp Skrei said. Around 21,000 pounds of food were collected by the council's Northern Sky District. This year's goal is 25,000 pounds, according to Sculthorp Skrei.

On the other hand, Nutley Scouts are going to hold the same activity. Together with the Nutely Rotary Club, local Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops will be working on a food drive to help the Nutley Food Pantry at the Red Cross building on Chestnut Street, as reported by Patch.

Aside from food, they will also be accepting personal care items for Vincent United Methodist Church's care pantry, as stated by the organizers. The pantry accepts all kinds of nonperishable foods but the organizers are asking the donors to check the canned goods' expiration dates before donating.

"The need this time of the year is especially great," event organizers stated in a release. "During February, the pantry served 150 people including nearly 100 children. Over 3,000 food items were required."

Nutley scouts collected around 17,000 items for the food pantry last year, according to Walt Smith, Pack 141 Chairman and chairman of the project.