>Local Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops and the local Order of the Arrow chapter collected 92,064 pounds of food for the Scouting for Food project, for Loudoun County residents Saturday, Nov. 12.
"If we teach our children at a young age that helping others is a good thing, they are likely to grow up to be helping and compassionate adults," said Scouting for Food coordinator Brian Shiflett. "With Scouting for Food, the Cub Scouts get a chance to perform community service as a group and it's a fun activity."
The Scouts collected 5,106 pounds of food for Messiah’s Market, 23,400 pounds of food for LINK Inc. and 63,558 pounds of food for the Community Holiday Coalition.
It took the Scouts about an hour to distribute the bags on the first weekend and about an hour to collect the food bags on the second weekend, Shiflett said.
After the food was collected, parents drove the donations to the four collection sites. At the sites, Boy Scouts unloaded, weighed and stowed the food, a project that took about three hours.
"It's amazing that the Scouts are able to process that amount of food in such a short amount of time. We spend a lot of effort planning that aspect of the operation," Shiflett said.
The Scouts collected 13,000 pounds more than last year. The collected food will be distributed to Loudoun County residents who are in need of basic human necessities, said Scouting for Food coordinator Brian Shiflett.