Scouting for Food campaign faces greatest challenge in 2009

Noreen Hyslop photo Tomorrow is the day Boy Scouts, like brothers Sean and Alex Rybolt above, will be canvassing the area "Scouting for Food." Bags will be left on front doors of residents across the area with the hope they will be filled with canned and non-perishable items to be picked up on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 21. All items will be donated to the Stoddard County Gospel Mission's Christmas Basket project. [Click to enlarge]

The news from the Stoddard County Gospel Mission that the month of October saw 82 new families enlist for benefits brings to light the demands that the mission faces this year as they prepare for the holiday season.

"We've never seen that kind of enrollment," says the mission's director, Betty Lemons. "We're seeing families we've never seen approach us for assistance, and we believe it's just another sign of the economic times we face."

With those increasing numbers of needy families in the county, Lemons says, comes the ever-increasing need for donations for the local mission's Christmas Basket Program.

"We have a lot of mouths to feed this year," Lemons says.

Helping with that effort in a big way are the local Boy Scouts. This year marks the Boy Scouts' 25th year to conduct their annual "Scouting for Food" Program.

This Saturday, local Boy Scouts will canvas the area, leaving a plastic bag at each door. The Scouts ask that each bag be filled with canned and/or non-perishable food items. Those items that are not utilized in putting together the Christmas baskets, Lemons says, will go into the regular food bank at the mission.

Next Saturday, Nov. 21, the Boy Scouts will be out once again to retrieve the bags, hopefully filled with appropriate items for needy families. The filled bags should be left near the front doors of homes in full view to be picked up by the Scouts.

"The need has never been greater in the 25-year history of our 'Scouting for Food' campaign," said Scout Executive and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater St. Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America John Primrose. "The demand at local food pantries here has increased 12 to 13 percent in just the past year alone; and with the region's unemployment rate now exceeding 10 percent, many folks simply need a helping hand more than ever."

Primrose said he has been told by some pantry operators that "many folks who used to donate food are now standing in line to receive canned goods and non-perishables for their families."

"We're urging everyone to be as generous as they can," Primrose says.

Last year, Scouting for Food collected nearly 2.2 million items, about a 6-percent increase over 2007. Since the annual drive began in St. Louis 25 years ago, Scouts from the Greater St. Louis Area Council have collected more than 39.4 million cans of food.