On Saturday, November 8, Scouts and Cubs from across the mountain will take part in their 25th annual Scouting for Food community service project. Since 2001, this event has brought together Scouts of all ages to help support Operation Provider, the local food bank, during the critical holiday season.
Each year, Scouts station themselves outside local grocery stores, collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations. “The Scouts are doing a wonderful annual contribution to Operation Provider with their food drive,” said Holland Lowe, Executive Director of Operation Provider. “It allows the community to donate and be part of feeding the hungry on our mountain. The need is higher than ever.”
According to Lowe, the most-needed items this year include rice, pasta, canned tuna and chicken, side dish packets, mac and cheese, cereal and peanut butter. Holiday staples such as canned yams, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy and gift cards or cash to purchase turkeys are also in high demand.
The Scouting for Food project was started 25 years ago by Jim Newcomb, now the local Scout Commissioner, when he served as Scoutmaster for Troop 251 in Lake Arrowhead. “When we moved to the area, there wasn’t a coordinated community service project,” Newcomb explained. “We had been doing Scouting for Food in Northern California and brought the idea here. We started with one troop in front of Stater Bros., and it’s grown to include Scouts from across the mountain.”
Scouting has been building character and leadership skills for over a century. Locally, scouting welcomes boys and girls from kindergarten through age 18. To learn more, visit www.BeAScout.org.
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