Check your doors between now and November 11th, as many homes in Southeastern New Mexico should have received a notification in the form of a Scouting For Food door hangtag with directions for food items needed to replenish the stockrooms of Harvest Ministries. Each November, Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturers, and unit leaders in the Conquistador Council take to the neighborhoods in support of Scouting for Food.
In New Mexico, 285,220 people are facing hunger - and of them 90,490 are children. 1 in 7 people, and 1 in 5 children face hunger every day.
Data from Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study.
The mission of the service project is to collect food items for families needing assistance within our local community. The Scouts will return on Saturday, November 18th, to pick up boxes and bags of non-perishable items (please, no glass, no frozen items) and deliver them to Harvest Ministries and other Southeastern New Mexico food pantries.
According to Mark Green of Harvest Ministries, “Food prices are up, but so are many other essentials. For many of our clients, it comes down to deciding whether to pay bills or buy food. Our number of clients has almost doubled, and for the first time in a great while, we are having to buy pallets of food to meet the demand. In times like these, our kind and generous community has always come through and I know they will again.”
Donation Drop-Off Locations
For those who may have missed receiving a hang tag, donation drop-off locations have been made available with the support of area businesses. Visit ScoutingForFood2023.org for a current list of locations.
Started in 1988, the Scouting for Food project is Scouting’s "Good Turn” to the community. The Scouts are responding to the ever-increasing demand for basic needs assistance. Collecting a large stock of non-perishable food goes a long way to meeting the emergency food requirements of local agencies, not only during the holiday season but well into next year. In addition to collecting food from the community, many Scouts continue their service beyonscouting-for-food-aims-to-replenish-harvest-ministries-food-pantry-during-the-giving-seasond door-to-door collection by working in the collection sites, unloading vehicles and bags, and sorting the food donations.
This and other Scouting programs are made possible by volunteer families. If you would like to learn more about the Scouting for Food program, volunteer your time to the program, and register your business as a food drop-off location at ScoutingForFood2023.org.
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