BOY SCOUTS DELIVER `SCOUTING FOR FOOD' BAGS ON SATURDAY

More than 1,000 Shawnee District Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Explorer Scouts will fan out across the area Saturday to participate in one of the nation's largest volunteer collection of food.

The boys are among the more than 4,000 Scouts in the Southeast Missouri Boy Scout Council that will be "Scouting for Food." The canned goods collected will be used to feed the hungry in Southeast Missouri.

Bob Hoppmann, Shawnee District's Scouting for Food chairman, said Scouts will deliver specially marked food collection bags doortodoor Saturday.

"The boys will return on Saturday, Nov. 16, to pick up the filled bags of canned goods, which Scouts are asking residents to place outside their doors by 9 a.m." Hoppmann said.

"If you do not receive a Scouting for Food collection bag on Saturday, you may take your donation to the community collection point in your town on Saturday, Nov. 16," he said.

In Cape Girardeau, the food collection point will be the 4-H barn, south of the Arena Building, in Arena Park. The collection point in Jackson will be the First Baptist Church.

In Scott City and Chaffee, the collection points will be at the fire stations.

"The greatest need is for nutritional canned food items, such as baby formula, soup, chili, fish, meats and vegetables," said Dennis Marchi, councilwide Scouting for Food chairman.

Marchi said a recent study revealed that as many as 11.5 million children in the United States are threatened with hunger every month. He said the national report also found that hungry children are more likely to be sick and absent from school more often than children with adequate food.

"The real tragedy," says Mark Wappel, chief Scout executive for the Southeast Missouri Council, "is that widespread hunger is completely preventable. When communities work together with programs like Scouting for Food, hunger can be eliminated.

Nationally, the Scouting for Food drive is expected to collect 87-89 million cans during this year's drive.

Last year, Southeast Missouri Scouts collected more than 76,580 cans of food for hungry families. We're hoping to surpass last year's collection figure," said Hoppmann. "We feel there is more interest and awareness of food for the hungry, and this is a simple, but very effective way to help those in need."

Hoppmann noted that canned goods collected by the Scouts in each community will remain in, and be used to feed the hungry in that community.

Local agencies that will assist the Scouts this year include the Missouri National Guard and Schnucks Food Store.