PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America will soon be trekking through local neighborhoods and collecting canned goods for the less fortunate.
The 31st Annual “Scouting for Food” drive begins on Oct. 27. Scouts will be dropping off door hangers to residents, seeking donations of nutritional, non-perishable canned goods, which will then be picked up on Nov. 3 and distributed to the to the R.I. Community Food Bank and other local food pantries.
The food bank’s most needed items include:
- Canned soup, meats and tuna
- Canned fruits and vegetables
- Dried fruit
- Canned nuts and peanut butter
- Tomato sauce
- Nutritious breakfast cereals
- Whole wheat pasta
- Rice
- Canned or dried beans
- Granola bars and other healthy snacks
This year, the council has partnered with Ocean State Job Lot, which will match pound-for-pound (up to 100,000 pounds) all food collected during the drive.
Nothing perishable or in glass containers can be accepted, according to the Narragansett Council.
The council said approximately 120,000 Rhode Islanders live in poverty. Each month, 53,000 seek food assistance while 12.4% of Rhode Island households struggle to afford nutritious meals and 5.6% experience severe hunger.
“Over the last 31 years, Scouting for Food has helped us provide meals to thousands of families,” said Andrew Schiff, CEO of the R.I. Community Food Bank. “This food drive is key to serving the one in eight Rhode Islanders in need of food assistance, especially as the winter approaches.”
WPRI 12 and Fox Providence are proud sponsors of the Scouting for Food Drive.
