Did you realize that one of every three people served by food banks are children? In Berks and Schuylkill counties, over 100,000 people qualify for food assistance. The Hawk Mountain Council, through SCOUTING FOR FOOD, is proud to be a major supporter of the effort to help those in need.

On Saturday, November 2nd, Scouts will distribute door hangers throughout their communities asking for donations.

On Saturday, November 9th, Scouts will return to collect the donated non-perishable food items left outside and take them to a convenient drop-off location within their local communities.

If you receive a door hanger, please make sure to leave your donations in a visible location outside your front door or by the base of your mailbox (please do not hang on or put in your mailbox) by 8:30 AM on Saturday, November 9, 2019. Please avoid donating glass items.

If you do not receive a door hanger or your items are not picked up, please consider bringing donations to a local food pantry, the Greater Berks Food Bank or to the Hawk Mountain Council at 5027 Pottsville Pike, Reading, PA 19605.

Please place your donated items in plastic grocery bags or boxes and attach the door hanger to the container.

The best items to donate are:

CEREALS | PEANUT BUTTER  | RICE  | OATMEAL DRY MILK | BEANS | 100% FRUIT JUICE | TUNA FISH | CANNED MEATS | CANNED FRUIT | CANNED VEGETABLES | CANNED SOUPS | PASTA | SHAMPOO | TOOTHBRUSHES | BABY WIPES | TOOTHPASTE | BATH WIPES

UNIT PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION

In order to be environmentally friendly, the Hawk Mountain Council is ordering door hangers made from sustainable recycled paper instead of manufacturing 200,000 plastic bags derived from national gas and petroleum. We will encourage our food donors to recycle plastic or paper bags they already have in their homes.

Door hangers will be available to pick-up starting at your district’s October Roundtable. Contact your district Scouting for Food chair, district professional or the council office if you have any questions.

MONETARY DONATIONS

The primary goal of the Scouting for Food service project is for Scouts to serve and be visible in their communities by canvasing neighborhoods distributing fliers and then returning to collect the food donations. There is, however, an opportunity for units, their families, their churches, their chartered organizations, and their employers to help contribute to this effort monetarily. Monetary donations can be given directly to Helping Harvest Food Bank as part of the Hawk Mountain Council Scouting for Food efforts.

ONLINE CONTRIBUTIONS:

Online contributions can be made directly to Helping Harvest (formerly the Greater Berks Food Bank). You can also donate via mail or phone as well.

EMPLOYER MATCHING:

Parents and leaders who work for companies that match charitable donations can have those matching funds targeted to the Hawk Mountain Council Scouting for Food effort.

FACTS:

• Every dollar donated allows the food bank to purchase 12 pounds of food.
• The food bank can use your dollar more efficiently that you can when purchasing food due to their network of suppliers.
• Donations are 100% tax-deductible.
• The average person eats between 3-5 pounds of food per day. Each dollar donated would feed 2-3 people.
• A $50.00 donation would feed a family of four for a month.
• If each one of the 8,000 Scouts registered in Hawk Mountain Council each donated $1.00, this would purchase 96,000 pounds of food. This would be enough to feed 50 people for an entire year.
• If each one of the 4,000 adult leaders registered in Hawk Mountain council each donated $10.00, this would purchase 480,000 pounds of food. This would be enough to feed over 70 families for an entire year.

WHAT SCOUTS AND UNITS CAN DO:

• Put out a collection box for food at your church, chartered organization, office, etc.
• Put out a collection jar for monetary donations at your church, chartered organization, office, etc.
• Put an insert into your church bulletin asking for help. You can download an insert here: Scouting-for-Food-bulletin-insert.docx
• Ask family members and relatives if they would like to donate a dollar or more to help in our efforts.

MAPPING UNIT COLLECTION AREAS

We need your help. This year we are continuing with our efforts to map the collection areas of individual units. We want to try to cover more areas with high-density housing. To do this, we are asking that all units register their collection areas. Once we have all the collection areas mapped out for those units that are participating, we will identify areas with high-density housing that are not covered. We will list those areas on the HMC website and send out a request for units to adopt them, for the 2019 collection.

The first step is to fill out the online participation form. Even if your unit is not planning to participate, please fill out the form. For those units that are planning to participate, once we receive your registration, we will contact you to make sure we have your unit’s territory mapped out correctly. We are planning to have all the areas mapped out by October 20, 2019.

UNIT RESPONSIBILITIES:

• If you’re not sure of your unit’s territory, please consult with your district Scouting for Food chair. You can also consult the interactive map of food collection areas.
• All members, both youth and adults, should be in uniform during Scouting for Food activities.
• Determine an assembly place and time for your door hanger distribution and collection of donated food items (you may wish to use your regular unit meeting place or another convenient location).
• Be sure that Scouts travel in groups of two or more with adequate adult supervision.
• Provide enough vehicles for the number of Scouts participating and the area to be covered.
• Vehicles should stay as close to the Scouts as possible. It is highly recommended (especially for Cub Scouts) for adults to be on the streets during door hanger distribution.
• Plan to remind all participants during the week of the drop-off and collection.
• Unit leaders must make sure the distribution and collection guidelines listed below are followed.
• After collection, fill out and submit the Report Form (available below and in the “Forms” section of the website) and log service hours for JTE.

DISTRIBUTION AND COLLECTION GUIDELINES:

• All unit members work the assigned territory only.
• Distribute to residences only. Skip businesses and apartments with controlled access or rules against solicitation.
• Place the door hanger on what appears to be the most frequently used door of the residence.
• Do not put in or on mailboxes. DO NOT ENTER ANY HOME FOR ANY REASON.
• Please make sure to report what your unit did and collected with the “Scouting for Food Report Form here: Scouting for Food Report Form
• Please also make sure to report your unit’s Scouting for Food service hours in the Service Hours Reporting Tool.
• For more information contact the council service center at 610-926-3406, your district Scouting for Food chair, or district professional for details.

With everyone’s assistance, we can make a difference in whether or not a child goes hungry.