Boy Scouts Scouting for Food Drive to Benefit Salvation Army Food Pantry

LAS VEGAS (October 26, 2015) — The 27th annual Scouting for Food Drive kicks off November 14. An estimated 7,000 Boy Scouts and volunteers, serving over 30,000 hours, will fan out across Las Vegas neighborhoods distributing their signature yellow bags door-to-door for collection on November 21.

“We hope to collect more than 200 tons of food so we can feed Southern Nevada families in need throughout the winter and into the spring,” said Jeff Wells, chairman of the food drive.

Each year, the Las Vegas Area Council Boy Scouts and volunteers collect non-perishable food items benefitting The Salvation Army food pantry. The pantry serves approximately 1,730 households a month, giving out 56,837 lbs. of food to families and individuals in need.

“For many of our neighbors, hunger is a reality. The rumbling of an empty stomach controls everything - how we feel, how we look, and even our outlook on life,” says Major Kelly Pontsler, Clark County Coordinator for The Salvation Army. “Our long-standing partnership with the Las Vegas Area Council Boy Scouts is about changing the reality for those we serve. To those that give, it may look like just a small bag of food, but each bag collected is new hope and reassurance that tomorrow will be better!”

Smith’s Food and Drug, one of our long-standing community partners, has helped support Scouting for Food since 1999, allowing the Boy Scouts to use their locations as collection sites. In addition to on-site support, Smith’s has donated $6,000 to the organization to purchase bags for the food collection. To date, Smith’s has donated more than $70,000 to the Las Vegas Area Council Boy Scouts since the event’s inception.

Donations can be dropped off in food collection boxes at area Smith’s and Boy Scouts will be on-site at all Smith’s locations collecting food on Nov. 21. New to the drive this year, Beasley Media Group will have a live remote from the parking lot at Smith’s located at 2211 N. Rampart Blvd (Lake Mead and Rampart).

Long-standing support for the event also comes from Anderson Dairy, FedEx, Freeman, Three Square and United Way of Southern Nevada.

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About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to salvationarmyusa.org.

The Salvation Army has been serving the Southern Nevada community since 1948. The Salvation Army is one of the largest direct providers of social services in Southern Nevada with a broad spectrum of services. For more information about The Salvation Army serving Southern Nevada, go to salvationarmysouthernnevada.org.