Through Saturday, Feb. 20, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in Wylie, Murphy and Sachse will be collecting canned goods for Scouting For Food, part of the largest one-day food drive in the Metroplex and largest food collection drive in the United States.  
 

Last year, more than 15,000 nonperishable items were collected in Wylie, Murphy and Sachse  alone … and more than 500,000 items were donated to food pantries throughout the Metroplex.
 

Since Scouting for Food began in 1988, more than 6.4 million cans have been collected and distributed to over 50 food banks in the Metroplex!   Food collected locally will be donated to the Wylie Christian Care Center, as well as the Copeville Baptist Pantry.  These assistance centers serve hundreds of needy families.
 

On or before Saturday, Feb. 20, most residents of Sachse, Wylie, Murphy and Nevada neighborhoods will receive a yellow bag on their doors or be handed a bag by a Scout.  Scouts will ask you to fill a bag and will return to pick it up a short time later.  Collections are also going on at many area schools.

 

Donate any of these items.

Nutritious food items that are especially needed include:  

• Pasta and rice

• Canned meat and fish (ham, chicken, tuna, Spam, etc.)

• Dry cereals, oatmeal

• Peanut butter, jelly

• Packaged pasta or dinner mixes like macaroni and cheese, Hamburger Helper

• Soups, especially Chunky soups

• Canned spaghetti, ravioli, chili

• Canned fruit and vegetables

According to Raymond Cooper, executive director of the Wylie Christian Care Center, “This is undoubtedly among the worst economic situations we’ve seen, and more families than ever before are seeking help from pantries.  The Scouting for Food drive is one of the largest contributors to our shelves each year.  It allows us to stock our shelves for months. The community has been very charitable in their support for the Wylie Christian Care Center in these tough times.”

 

Scouts of every age participate in Scouting for Food, as part of doing a good turn for others in the community. They range from first-grade Tiger Cubs to Eagle Scouts who are in high school.
 

In Wylie, Murphy and Sachse,  many Scouts will not only collect the bags but sort the cans and boxes of nonperishable food that arrive at the Wylie Armory collection center.  The boxed items are then transported to the Wylie Christian Care Center.   

“It’s a great way to show boys the big picture of what it means to help those less fortunate,” said Jeanine Stevens, who co-chairs Scouting for Food for the Great Plains District of Circle Ten Council with her husband, David. 

“They learn that food doesn’t magically appear in many households. They see that it’s important for neighbors to pull together to help by donating cans, cereal, etc. That’s something even a 6-year-old can do with a parent.” 

No matter what the weather, Scouts will be collecting filled bags.  If the weather is really bad (rain, snow or even ice), Scouts ask that you leave your bags out anyway, Stevens said. 

 

If you would like to donate bags of food but live in a more rural area (such as St. Paul or an incorporated area) and do not receive a yellow bag,  call 972-814-5997 or send an e-mail to tardam@aol.com.  

“We will gladly pick up your nonperishable food wherever you live,” Stevens said.

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