Scouting for Food

For Immediate Release

Greater St. Louis Area Council, BSA

November 3, 2014

Contact: Christine Dieckmann, Director of Marketing and Communications

O: 314-256-3030, C: 314-660-9042

Scouts To Deliver 30th Annual Scouting For Food Bags Saturday

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Residents can expect to see extra foot traffic through neighborhoods this weekend as the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America kicks off its 30th annual Scouting For Food drive on Saturday, Nov. 8. More than 30,000 Scouts, parents and volunteers will canvass the streets of St. Louis delivering more than one million bags to homes across the area. One week later, on Saturday, Nov. 15, Scouts will retrieve the bags filled with canned and non-perishable food.

"Scouting For Food is an incredibly important event in our community," said Ron Green, Scout Executive/CEO of the Greater St. Louis Area Council. "It is a simple, cost-effective way residents can help those who are less fortunate in our communities. St. Louis has always been generous and the Scouts are thrilled to work in area neighborhoods to collect canned and non-perishable food donations."

Each year, Scouting For Food collects over two million food items, resulting in more than 560,000 meals for people in need. It is the largest one-day food drive in the region. Canned good donations in the St. Louis area are delivered to the St. Louis Area Foodbank for further distribution through a network of more than 500 partner agencies. Within 48 hours of the Scouts' pick-up, the first donations are on food pantry shelves, ready to feed the hungry.

"We recently received the results of the Hunger in America study, which is conducted every four years," said Frank Finnegan, president and CEO of the St. Louis Area Foodbank. "It told us that we have to continue to work harder to get food into the hands of those who need it. With the winter months approaching, we know that the strain on the food pantries we serve is going to increase as families are forced to cut their food budget in order to keep their heat on or pay for much-needed medicine. The Scouting for Food drive goes a long way towards helping those families from having to make tough choices."

In honor of St. Louis' 250th anniversary, the Boy Scouts are looking to collect 2.5 million food items.

About Scouting For Food

From its inception in 1985, Scouting For Food has grown to become the region's largest single-day food drive. The Greater St. Louis Area Council, which includes St. Louis City, 27 counties in eastern Missouri, and 10 counties in southern Illinois, has collected nearly 50 million food items in the 29-history of the campaign. To learn more, visit stlbsa.org.

About the St. Louis Area Foodbank:

The St. Louis Area Foodbank began its service to the community in 1975. Since that time, the organization has grown to become the bi-state region's largest nonprofit 501(c)(3) food distribution center dedicated to feeding those in need. Through a network of more than 500 partner agencies in 26 counties in Missouri and Illinois, the Foodbank distributes nearly 35 million pounds of food and personal care items annually. More than 392,000 people in the bi-state region rely on the Foodbank for assistance each year. For more information on the organization and the issue of hunger, please visit: STLFoodbank.org.