Good Turn For America – Scouting for Food

Thank you to all of the Cub Scout Packs, Scouts BSA Troops, Venturing Crews, Sea Scout Ships, Explorer Posts, and STEM Labs that participated in the 2020 Scouting for Food and Shelter Drive! 

It’s because of you that approximately 2,600 volunteers came together from 139 units to donate more than 160,000 much needed items to food banks in your communities.  Great job!

 

 

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Photo Credits to Battlefield Troop 84, Conococheague Pack 91, Conococheague Pack 136, ConococheaguePack 222, Keystone Capital Troop 1019, Pioneer Pack 171, Pioneer Troop 168, and Keystone Capital Troop 594.  Thank you to everyone who sent in photos!

Preparing for the 2021 Scouting for Food and Shelter Drive

This event will take place over the first two Saturdays in November.  On the first Saturday, units should go around their local communities placing door hangers to notify the community that we are conducting a local food and shelter drive.  Then on the second Saturday, units should go around to the same communities that they hung their door hangers in and pick up the food and shelter items and deliver them to a local shelter or food bank of their choice. 

Suggested General Timeline (this timeline is subject to change):

  • August 2021 – Units should select a Scouting for Food and Shelter Drive Unit Contact.  This is generally an adult who will take the lead in organizing the unit’s participation. 
  • September 2021 – The Unit Contact will register the unit to participate in the event.  There will be an e-mail me form to complete.  Watch the Council’s website and social media accounts for the link.
    • Contact the local food bank where you will be delivering the donation. Make sure they will be open and clarify what steps you need to take to have the donation be accepted.
  • October 2021 – The Council will have door hangers read to distribute.  The Unit Contact (or other volunteer) will need to pick up the door hangers when they are ready.
  • November 2021 – Complete the Scouting for Food and Shelter Drive!  Make sure to report the number of volunteers that helped using the Council’s e-mail me form (to qualify for the recognition item) and through ScoutBook to qualify for JTE.

We also ask that units try and work with their neighboring units to cover as much of our council’s territory as possible.  This is a great community service project that does a lot of good and can get your unit some positive exposure in the community.  Any questions related to the food and shelter drive can be directed to Rebekah Schardt at Rebekah.Schardt@scouting.org or Sal Franqui at Sal.Franqui@scouting.org.

 

2020 FAQs for Units

How do I order door hangers?

All door hanger orders must be submitted using this link by the end of September.  We will be placing the order with the printer in early October and cannot guarantee that we will have enough door hangers for your unit if we do not have your order in September.

Do I need to use door hangers to participate?

No, you don’t. However, we do still recommend that you sign up using the EmailMeForm by the end of September to make sure we don’t have multiple units requesting donations in the same area.  

Some units do choose to print their own fliers, and that is fine.  Just make sure that whatever you leave at someone’s house has all the key information on it:

  1. This is the “Scouting For Food and Shelter Drive”.  
  2. Let them know that food donations will be picked up on the second Saturday in November.
  3. Let each house know that to donate, they should place items in a plastic bag and put it outside their front door in plain view of the street by 9 AM.  Scouts in their community will arrive after 9 AM and collect the food donation.
  4. Let each house know that items collected by the Scouts will be distributed at no cost to families in need through several local shelters and food banks.
  5. Include contact information.  This is a great time to promote Scouting in general, and your unit specifically.  Include your unit information and include the dates for your next Open House.  If you don’t have a recruitment event scheduled, include the link www.BeAScout.org. 

How can my unit participate safely during a pandemic?

All of the requirements for groups meeting during PA’s “Green Phase” are still in effect.  We have posted a detailed description of how units can meet during this phase on our website.

A few things to keep in mind when setting up collections:

  1. Call your donation site ahead of time. Make sure that your preferred donation site is currently open and if they have any special requirements for people making donations.
  2. Keep Social Distancing in mind. This may come into play when delivering the door hangers to Scouts, carpooling, or if your donation location requires pre-sorting of donations.
  3. Wear Masks. Scouts will be approaching many houses where people may come out to see what they are doing.  Wearing that mask will protect our neighbors and show that our Scouts are good members of the community.

Also, take a Safety Moment to review how to Transport Scouts Safely.

Where do I report our Scouting For Food Results?

Thank you for participating in the Scouting for Food and Shelter Drive!  The last step in the process is to report in how it went.

  • Fill out the 2020 e-mail me form on-line before November 30.  This document stays within the Council.  We will use this information to order patches for everyone who participated and help recruit sponsors to help support the cost of the Good Turn for America campaigns.
  • When the Drives are finished Packs, Troops, and Crews please make sure to enter your hours of service in ScoutBook  so it can be tallied as part of your 2020 Journey to Excellence.  More information about how to log your service hours can be found here.
  • Do you have pictures of your unit participating in the Scouting for Food?  We would love to see them!  Please send any photos to Rebekah.Schardt@scouting.org and/or Sal.Franqui@scouting.org.

Where can I drop off donations?

Donations can be dropped off at your favorite local food bank or shelter drop off location.  It is always a good idea to contact the drop off location first to make sure that someone will be around to receive the donation and to make certain that our Scouts are following the donation center’s preferences for donations.  A few questions to ask:

  • Are you currently taking donations?
  • When can we drop off the donation?
  • Do we need to sort the donation first?  If yes, how should it be sorted?
  • Are there any safety precautions we should consider when making the donation?

For a list of donation locations that have been used in previous years, you can download a pdf: Pantry List 2020.  This list offers suggestions only.  Feel free to contact any donation location in your community.

 

Additional Unit Resources