Boy Scout food drive coming to your door

The Pathway to Adventure Council, Boy Scouts of America, is proud to announce its "Scouting for Food" drive benefiting food banks throughout the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana. This area-wide Scouting service project will facilitate food donations at a time when more families are in need.

More than 2,000 Scouts will be canvassing their neighborhoods over the coming weeks to collect nonperishable, unexpired items. Suggested donations include peanut butter, canned/dry beans, boxed pasta/rice/potatoes, or canned soups. The food collected by each Scout unit will be donated to local food banks, including the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.

The drive will begin on Saturday, April 17, when Scouts will distribute informational door hangers or flyers to houses in their community. The hangers instruct residents to leave food donations on their doorsteps after 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 24. At that time, Scouts will pick up the donation and deliver it to their food bank of choice or a localized drop site to be part of a larger donation.

"One of the pillars of Scouting is community service, and Scouting for Food helps instill the importance of giving back and supporting our communities to Scouts across all ages," said Robert Gale, volunteer vice president of program for the council. "Scouting for Food also helps us showcase that Scouting is a vital part of each of our communities," Gale added.

The Pathway to Adventure Council appreciates its local partners that helped make this service project possible: Strack & Van Til, Butera Market, R. Busch Drum Inc., Wheeling Auto, Greater Chicago Food Depository, and the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.

Pathway to Adventure Council serves more than 20,250 youth in the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana with more than 7,500 adult volunteer leaders. Programs include Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing, Sea Scouts, Exploring, and STEM in Scouting.

For information, visit PathwayToAdventure.org.