The Greater Tampa Bay Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America held its Scouting for Food drive in February and gathered more than 45,000 pounds of food to stock food pantries all over its territory. This is the second consecutive year the Tampa council has broken its own previous record for the drive, and this year’s haul was much greater than last year’s: in 2020, the scouts collected a total of 37,082 pounds of food.
“Scouting for Food is a critical part of our Scouting culture,” Timucua District Director Kyle Molldene said in a press release. “Amidst the tragedy of COVID-19, the local scouts have stepped up as servant leaders within their communities.”
The council is comprised of districts in nine counties and the Timucua District, which includes the Plant City area and southern Hillsborough County, collected a whopping 4,912 pounds of food for the drive. The Timucua scouts donated the food to the United Food Bank of Plant City and several others within district boundaries.
The Boy Scouts cite a Feeding America study that shows Hillsborough had a child food insecurity rate of 17 percent in 2018, a figure that the COVID-19 pandemic more than likely made worse.
“The food drive gave the youth a chance to give back to the community and help those in need,” Tracy MacDonald, Troop Committee Chair of Plant City’s Troop 5, said in a press release. “Being helpful is a part of our Scout Law, and we often try to practice community service.”