Scouts participate in major food donation program this Saturday in multiple cities

On Saturday October 19^th the Boy Scouts of America invite you and your neighbors to support your local food pantries while you shop at your local grocery stores in the Inland Empire communities from Colton and Grand Terrace to Banning along the I-10 corridor and across the San Bernardino Valley up to Lake Arrowhead, Blue Jay and Crestline in the San Bernardino Mountains.

The Gray Arrow District Boy Scouts will be “Scouting for Food” October 19^th collecting non-perishable food items from shoppers in these communities at participating grocery store entrances. Stater Bros., Albertsons, Food for Less, Walmart and Vons are the larger participating grocery stores in the greater San Bernardino Valley up into Banning Pass areas, while Jensen’s and Goodwin’s join Stater Bros. in the mountain communities.

Gerrards, Trader Joes and Smart & Final stores in Redlands will join this support effort, as well as Dollar General and Walmart in the Calimesa to Banning area. Please encourage your families, friends and neighbors to help the Scouts do a meaningful “Good Turn” for your communities by donating food items intended for needy families that reside in your local communities.

Scouting for Food has been an annual “Good Turn” community service for America, performed by Scouts of all ages in the California Inland Empire Council since 2001. Collected food items are distributed to food pantries of local non-profit agencies including the San Bernardino and Redlands Salvation Army Service Offices, the Family Service Association of Redlands, its Yucaipa Outreach Project, as well as Yucaipa Family Assistance, and H.E.L.P. Inc. in the Banning Pass.

In addition, donated food items are passed to Operation Provider in the mountain communities and for the second time this year to the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House in Loma Linda. These agencies all provide emergency assistance that includes food distribution and other needed services to needy or disadvantaged and transitional families.

The area served by these agencies includes Colton, Grand Terrace, Loma Linda, Redlands, Mentone, Yucaipa, Highland, Forest Falls, Angelus Oaks, Beaumont, Calimesa, Banning, San Bernardino, Devore, Lake Arrowhead, Blue Jay, and Crestline. Food is especially needed this time of year as the weather cools and the pantries of these charities are at their lowest before the holidays.

On October 19, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., when you shop for groceries below the mountains, Scouts in uniform will give you a list of suggested food items most needed by these service agencies as you enter the stores.

This Scouting for Food program will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the mountain communities in early November. As you make your purchase, exit the store, present your donated food to a smiling Cub or Boy Scout as you place the food into the large collection boxes to which they are attending. Collected food will be sorted and delivered to these local community agencies by Scouts, their parents, and adult Scout leaders of the Gray Arrow District, California Inland Empire Council, Boy Scouts of America.

If you have any questions in respect to our Scouting for Food program, please contact Ed Lucas, our Gray Arrow District “Scouting for Food” Chairman for 2019 at either edmech02@msn.com or his Cell: (951) 906-3713.