HANCOCK COUNTY — Local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are joining a nationwide effort to feed hungry families.
The 30th annual Scouting for Food drive, organized by Kroger Co. stores across the country, invites local Scouts to set up shop at their stores and encourage shoppers to donate food items for area food banks. In addition, Scouts take to area neighborhoods to ask for donations door to door. The food drive runs until April 9.
At Kroger stores, customers can purchase a bag with a certain amount of meals in it — $3 for nine meals, $5 for 15 meals and $10 for 30 meals — to support the effort or drop off items of their own choosing in collection bins.
John Elliott, Kroger Central Division public affairs manager, said 2015’s Scouting for Food was extremely successful. Kroger collected $24,982 in food, or 74,946 in meals, in Indiana, and the Girl and Boy Scouts in the region collected more than 141,000 items to add to that total.
Two local Girl Scout Troops are putting their own twist on the spring food drive tradition.
Troop 19, which comprises high school juniors, and Troop 760, which welcomes fourth- through sixth-graders, are both led by Teri Anderson. For seven years, her troops have collected money in order to donate cookies to food banks in their school districts.
They have donated to Angel Connection, a McCordsville-based food pantry that serves Hancock County, as well as McCordsville United Methodist Church.
Serving families locally makes an impact on the young philanthropists, who know they’re providing sweet treats to people in their own communities, she said.
So far, the two Girl Scout troops have collected 108 boxes, or nine cases, of cookies they will donate to area food pantries.
At least one local Boy Scout troop is participating in Scouting for Food as well.
Troop 223, which meets at Bradley United Methodist Church, will be going door to door on April 4 in Greenfield neighborhoods to collect for the food drive, said committee leader Kathy Dickerson.
The troop has participated in the project for at least 15 years, Dickerson said.
Those who do not see the Scouts in their neighborhood but want to support the cause can drop off items at the church, 210 W. Main St. Mark donations with “Troop 223” and take them to the church office, Dickerson said.
