Scout food drive Saturday

OREM — When former U.S. Sen. Jake Garn, R-Utah, blasted off for space in 1985, he probably had no idea Boy Scouts would use that trip to promote a food drive.

Yet, "Blast Off Hunger" will take Boy Scouts throughout the state to the homes of thousands of families to fill the shelves of the Utah Food Bank and other state agencies that work in the fight against hunger. The Scouting for Food drive is Saturday, March 25. Garn is serving as the figurehead for the drive.

Scouting's goal is to collect more than 1 million pounds of donated food.

Why the Boy Scouts?

"Since 1910, the ideals of Scouting have guided young men to perform 'service to others and to the community,' " said John Gailey, spokesman for the Utah National Parks Council of the Boy Scouts of America, which is headquartered in Orem.

It's Scouting doing a traditional "good turn," he said.

Boy Scouts were mustered into providing food for the needy during World War I. They planted vegetable gardens for the hungry. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called on Scouts to collect food for the needy during the Great Depression. Again during World War II Scouts and others planted victory gardens, Gailey said.

This year will mark the 18th year of the Scouting for Food drive, the largest drive in the state for the Utah food banks. Scouts collected more than 300,000 pounds of food just in Utah County last year, he said. The drive filled a growing need.

Emergency visits to the state's food pantries increased 7.6 percent from July 2004 to July 2005 or 17,000 more food boxes than was distributed the previous year, he said.

Residents may leave a bag of canned goods at their front door by 9 a.m. for the Scouts to pick up. Many homes have already received bags from the Scouts, but any bag will do. Only commercially canned and packaged goods are accepted, nothing perishable, frozen or in glass containers.

Items needed include:

• Canned fruits and vegetables

• Canned meats and stews

• Pasta and beans

• Baby food and formula

• Peanut butter

• Personal hygiene items (such as toilet paper)

• Other non-food nonfood items

Sponsors assisting in this year's Scouting for Food drive include the Utah National Guard, Western Family, Associated Food Stores and Yellow Freight.

For more information or to volunteer, contact the regional food bank or call Utahns Against Hunger at 800-453-FOOD (3663).

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E-mail: rodger@desnews.com