Boy Scouts Prepare for Big Food Drive

Boy Scouts from throughout the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys distributed 65,000 bags door-to-door Saturday in preparation for a massive food-collection project this weekend.

The “Scouting for Food” program includes about 135 Scout troops and 3,680 Scouts, said Del Hanks, assistant director of the Western Los Angeles County Boy Scout Council, which includes troops from the Valley and north county as well as Santa Monica.

“This has been going on now for about seven years as an effort on the Boy Scouts’ part to combat the ‘four unacceptables,’ ” said Hanks, adding that the Scouts have recently been tackling those “unacceptables”--hunger, child abuse, illiteracy and teen unemployment.

The Scouting for Food program raised 300,000 cans of food in the Western Los Angeles Council last year, and more than 1.2 million cans of food were collected by Scouts in Southern California, Hanks said.

Boys Scouts started on Jan. 28 leaving door hangers requesting non-perishable foods at homes. They distributed bags Feb. 4 to be used for collection. Some troops collected the food that day, but most will collect the donations Saturday, Hanks said. Donations must be put outside people’s houses by 9 a.m.

Some troops, such as in Palmdale and parts of the western San Fernando Valley, held their “Scouting for Food” drive during the holidays or earlier, Hanks said.

The food is distributed to 30 major charities and food banks in the Los Angeles area. The foods most needed include canned good such as soup, meats, fruit, fish, beef stew, chili and vegetables.

Those who want to make a food donation can call Hanks at (818) 785-8700, Extension 126 to find out where they can give.