Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Scouting for Food will hold its 39th annual event on Saturday, Feb. 8, collecting donations for Utah food banks.
- The drive partners with local businesses and organizations, including the Utah National Guard, to aid 414,510 Utahns facing hunger.
- Volunteers will gather nonperishable items at 53 Smith's locations and other sites, coinciding with Super Bowl weekend shopping.
SALT LAKE CITY — Scouting America's Crossroads of the West Council will host its 39th-annual Scouting for Food event on Saturday, Feb. 8, to collect donations for local food banks and pantries throughout Utah.
Scouting for Food is a communitywide effort to help those facing food insecurity. The food drive is looking to collect nonperishable food items, such as canned goods, peanut butter and ready-to-eat snacks, as well as toiletries and paper products. Donations will be collected and sorted by volunteers and local partners, then distributed to food banks, pantries and shelters.
The drive is being held in partnership with Arctic Circle, Bank of Utah, Red Hanger Cleaners, Smith's Food & Drug, Utah National Guard, YESCO, Young Automotive Group, KUTV's Souper Bowl of Caring and local food pantries in a combined effort to provide relief to the estimated 414,510 Utahns struggling with hunger. Utah National Guard service members will specifically aid in collecting and transporting these donations across Weber, Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties.
"We are proud to provide the personnel resources and the logistical power needed to deliver the food to the local pantries where it will make an immediate impact on families in need," said Brigadier General Kurt Davis, of the Utah National Guard. "We understand the challenges many families are facing in today's economic climate, and the Utah National Guard is committed to assisting our fellow citizens in meeting those most basic needs."
Scouts will be stationed at 53 Smith's Food & Drug store locations across Utah to assist in collecting food donations as shoppers leave the store from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Donations will also be collected at participating Red Hanger, Young Automotive and food pantry locations throughout the state. Scouts will also collect bags of donations left on doorsteps for pick-up in neighborhoods throughout the state. A complete list of collection locations can be found here.
Lorna Koci, chairwoman and coordinator of the Scouting for Food drive, noted that Scouting for Food's collection day is intentionally being held during the 2025 Super Bowl weekend where many will be shopping for groceries and supplies for game day festivities. While the National Retail Federation predicts Americans will spend a record-breaking $18.6 billion on Super Bowl-related purchases this year, Koci encourages those who are able to consider picking up additional items to donate to those in need.
"Hunger is something that is so destructive," Koci said. "Children can't learn; parents can't work; they can't be kind to one another. Hunger is a basic need, and for those who have plenty, I think we have a responsibility to share with others who don't."
Scouting for Food collected over 136,453 pounds of food in 2024 and is considered one of the largest youth-led service initiatives in the country. For more information about Saturday's event, visit the Scouting for Food website.
"We are proud to be part of such a meaningful tradition," said Allen Endicott, Scout executive of Crossroads of the West Council, in a press release. "Scouting for Food is an incredible opportunity for our youth to live out the Scout Oath, serving others and making a real difference in the lives of people who need it most."
