NOV. 7, 2010 -- Hundreds of food pantries throughout Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois hope the 26th annual "Scouting for Food" canned good drive will replenish shelves with nutritious food.  More than 30,000 Scouts from the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America will distribute more than one million bags next Saturday, Nov. 13, and return the following Saturday, Nov. 20, to collect the bags filled with canned goods.

As unemployment rates remain high and challenging economic conditions persist, many pantries report an unprecedented amount of requests for food. The United States Department of Agriculture uses the term "Household Food Security" when measuring the number of households who have adequate food. A 2008 report found Missouri to have 14 percent of households experiencing food insecurity, the sixth-highest rating in the United States. The national average was 12.2 percent.

"The St. Louis Area Foodbank’s network of pantries continues to report record requests for food assistance," said Frank Finnegan, executive director of the St. Louis Area Foodbank. "Many pantries are having difficulty meeting the demand from so many people who have never needed help in the past.  Scouting for Food is not just another food drive, it’s the largest food drive in the entire country—no one collects more food than our local Boy Scout Council—and this year we need them more than ever."

More than 500 food pantries throughout the region have grown to rely on Scouting for Food and the generosity of the community to help stock their shelves before the holiday season and the cold winter months. Scouting for Food donations provide up to a four-month supply of food for some pantries.

"Scouting for Food is important to our community in several ways," said Mike Zolezzi, the director of activities of the Greater St. Louis Area Council. "Hundreds of pantries throughout our region are dependent on our Scouts doing a good job to complete this service project. Scouting for Food also is a simple way to teach our Scouts how they can help others. And when they see the results of hundreds of other Scouts collecting food, they realize their combined efforts can help hundreds of people."

The Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America is the foremost youth-serving organization in our community that develops character, citizenship and fitness.  The Council serves more than 60,000 young people in 37 counties in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois. For more information, visit www.stlbsa.org.

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