Scouting for Food Annual Food Drive

Medford, N.Y., March 2012 - The Boy Scouts of America, Suffolk County Council will conclude its annual Good Turn for America Scouting for Food Drive on Saturday, March 24, 2012.

For the past 25 years, the Boys Scouts of America and King Kullen Grocery Company have partnered to provide this Good Turn to the residents of Suffolk County. The mission of the drive is to allow Scouts to participate in the collection of food items to be distributed to local food pantries who then will distribute to the community at large. Starting in February, Scouts throughout the county have gone door to door distributing printed brown paper bags asking for food donations to be left outside for pickup on Saturday, March 24. 

Collection points have been set-up across the county and the food will be inventoried, sorted, and then distributed to a variety of food pantries. The collection sites are as follows: Loyal Order of the Moose in Lindenhurst, John Glen H.S. in Elwood, and the Coram Fire Department Headquarters in Coram. All sites will begin operating at 9 am and food will be accepted till 11:30 am.  Pantries will then begin to arrive to pick up donations.  Members of the community are welcome to join us at any of the sites to either drop off donations, sort, or be on hand to assist pantries with loading vehicles. 

In 2011, Scouts in Suffolk County collected and distributed more than 85,000 lbs. of food to local pantries. The Suffolk County Council, BSA recognizes that the food pantries are the experts in organizing the distribution of food to needy families in the community.  The Scouts do their part by providing the man (Scouts) power behind the collection of food. 

Mark Businski, President commented, “This is a great community service that we are doing, providing food to the needy,” he continued, “But more importantly, our goal is to try and teach young people to give back to the community by participating in community service and volunteer work.”  “If youth become accustom to volunteering in these efforts, hopefully in adulthood they will stay involved in community endeavors.”

The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be "Prepared. For Life.™" The Scouting organization in Suffolk County is composed of 20,000 youth members between the ages of 7 and 21 and more than 5000 volunteers. For more information please visit www.sccbsa.org.