All scouts are taught that they should help others.  Cub Scouts through Venturers promise “to help other people”.  The Boy Scout slogan teaches boys to do one “good turn” or good deed every day.  The Good Turn for America program is all about helping us all to do that good turn.  
This year’s Scouting for Food event, which is a part of the BSA’s Good Turn for America program, is coming up very soon.  This event counts as a service project for your Journey to Excellence.  Let’s all work together in making this year’s Scouting for Food a big success in the Upper Cumberland by flooding our area’s food banks with canned and other non-perishable goods.
food for scouting form

food for scouting flyer 001

There are different ways that your unit can participate in Scouting for Food.  For example:

• Door to Door:  Distribute flyers (sample attached) requesting donations door to door on or before Saturday, February 4^th, 2012.  Return to those housed on Saturday, February 11^th to collect the donated goods.
• School / Church Collections:  With the church’s or school’s permission, place a decorated, labeled collection box in the lobby or in each classroom and work with the organization to make everyone aware of the drive.  You could generate extra interest by offering a donut or pizza party or other incentive to the class providing the highest number of items.  Pickup should be on or before Saturday, February 11^th.  
• Grocery Store On-Site Collections:  With the store’s permission, distribute flyers to customers entering the grocery store and have a collection box at the door for any donations to be dropped off as the customers leave the store.  This could be done up to February 11^th.

The key dates to remember are:

• Distribution Day – February 4, 2012.  By this date, units need to have gotten the word out to the community.
• Collection Day – February 11, 2012.  This is the Council-requested date for delivering the food to the food bank of your choice.  Feel free to contact Jessica Buckner below if you would like assistance in locating a food bank in your area.

Units need to register prior to the event to reserve patches for scouts and adult leaders at http://www.doubleknot.com/Registration/CalendarDetail.asp?ActivityKey=1036038&OrgKey=458

After the event, the attached summary sheet with names of attendees, number of food items collected, etc. will need to be filled out and submitted to Council office or Jeremy Belk (our District Executive) to receive patches.  Participation must also be recorded in the Good Turn for America website to be counted toward your Journey to Excellence (https://scoutnet.scouting.org/gtfa/ui/security/login.aspx).

If you have any questions please feel free to call or email me.  Thank you all for your time and service!

Jessica Buckner