Flyers are distributed to houses in local neighborhoods by the cub scouts of Pack 69 on the first Saturday in November.  People are asked to fill shopping bags with non-perishable food.  This food is then dropped off at a leaders house for collection to a local food bank.   

In 2023, Cub Scout Pack 69 raised over 500 lbs of food for local food banks and kitchens.

Food we collect benefits the West Chester community.  A majority of food at local shelters – many thousands of pounds – is provided by the Scouting for Food Program, and food banks are reporting dwindling supplies and more clients than ever because of the current economy.  The flyers are distributed by Pack 69, and bags of food are collected and sent directly to the people in need

Scouting for Food is one of our most important activities and the single largest community service project BSA does each year.  It is not complicated, but it’s possible to mess it up.  Since we interact with the community, it’s important to get it right. 

Dens make their own plans to meet, assign streets, and pass out flyers.  Some gather with hot chocolate and donuts- it can be fun and enjoyable to get outside on a Saturday morning (or another time of your choosing). 

1. Do not allow families to skip this event.  This is the only event where we ask for 100% participation.  If too many people skip, it is physically taxing on the scouts and can potentially extend into hours of darkness.

2. Be prepared for flyer shortages.  Someone will be short a couple of flyers and will need to get them from somebody who has leftovers.

3. Pick a time when most people can distribute flyers together at the same time so you can fix flyer shortages more easily. All flyers must be distributed by Sunday afternoon.

4. Attach flyers securely to each door.  Attach it to glass if possible.  If it falls off, it will look like trash, and that house will not know about the food drive.

5. Never let Scouts go out of sight or into people’s houses.  Watch for traffic.

6. Do not ring doorbells.  If asked what he’s doing, each scout should know what to say.  “The Boy Scouts are letting people know about our annual Scouting for Food food drive.  If you wish to participate, please place a bag filled with non-perishable food on your doorstep next Saturday by 9am.”

7. Do not skip any streets.  People will pick up food next week, and they expect we do every street on the map.  Also it can mean hundreds of pounds of lost food for people who need it.

8. Have a check-out plan. People should not just go home once their assigned street is done because it’s possible some other poor Scout was stuck with too much to do.

9. Have a way to communicate during the event.  A group text works great.

10. Record attendance, service hours, and distance hiked.  For service hours we also need to know adults and sibling participants.

11. Dress in full class A including blue pants. Dress and appearance should be as good as possible.