scouting for food - PICK UP THE BAGS

[Newbie Den Leader]

Every year unknown Scouts from an unkonwn unit leave a bag at my door so I can fill it up with donated food. Again, for the third time, the bag filled with donated food was not picked up at my doorstep. Obviously, the unit that's working my neighborhood does not have good follow-up or sufficient help pick up all of the bags.

 

What can I do to communicate this problem? I can't talk to a Scoutmaster or Cubmaster because I don't which Troop or Pack is leaving the bags. Bags that don't get picked up make the Scouts appear lazy and ineffective. In this case, it's certainly ineffective.

[Lisabob]

Contact your unit commissioner and ask him or her to help you track down the unit that left the bags in your neighborhood. Around here at least, UCs have a monthly district meeting so they all know each other and it wouldn't be too hard for them to touch base on this.

 

Lisa'bob

[ScoutNut]

Call your Council office. There is usually a Scouting for Food Coordinator that the units have to sign up with & be assigned an area to work (otherwise you would have multiple units covering 1 area & 0 covering another). The SFF coordinator should know who the units responsible for your area are.

 

In the meantime, take your bags to your nearest food pantry yourself. I am certain they will appreciate it. Maybe next year your Pack can participate in Scouting for Food!

 

[Eagle76]

Sigh.

My troop isn't responsible, but...

I live in my own troop's Scouting for Food area.

In 2004, no bag was left on my doorstep, so on pickup day I took my bag of items to our assembly point and added it to the pile.

In 2005, a bag was left, so I thought "Good, it was a one-time goof," and left my stuff on my porch. But, it didn't get picked up.

Why? I don't know know who's at fault. Did our Scoutmaster goof when he handed out the map sections and not assign the area? (I know first-hand of a case where he assigned a couple streets to two separate teams.) Did someone get a map with our street assigned and get confused/lost and miss or street? (It's possible when working back and forth, into cul-de-sacs, etc.)

I may never know.

Lazy? I don't think so.

Ineffective? I guess so.

Human, thus subject to making mistakes? Yes.

 

How to fix it? Other than just to try, try again, I don't know.

[funscout]

When you talk to your Council's Scouting for Food organizer, you might want to ask him to remind Units to attach a note to each bag with their unit # and of course a word of thanks for donating food.

 

I type up short notes asking (and thanking) for food donations that tell who we are, when we will be back to pick up the bag, and where the food will be donated. I then staple each note to the bags. That way, if we somehow miss a bag, the home owners know who to contact.

 

[nldscout]

We attach a small fler to each bag so people know when to leave it and for what. We also use Bright Orange Bags so no one can miss them when driving or walking around. Plus we canvas streets several times to make sure we get the late placer-outers. That being said we still miss some, but we cured that by asking the Mail carriers in our area to tell me if they spotted any come monday morning.

[Newbie Den Leader]

Thanks for the good advice. I know that honest mistakes happen and will continue to happen, but I get concerned when the same mistake is repeated every year and becomes a pattern of failure. The Cub Scout Promise and Boy Scout Oath says to do my best If this is the the best this Scout unit can do, then it would be better if they did not participate in Scouting For Food. The community will not take Scouting seriously if the Scouts cant follow-up on their promise to pick up the bags.

 

My Cub Scout Pack did a good job of covering our assigned areas and making double-sure we visit those areas where bags were left the prior week. In addition, some of us went out later in the day to check for late-comers. Our community goes to the trouble of remembering to donate food through the Scouts and we need to take extra-trouble to remember and pick them up.

 

[Eagledad]

>>When you talk to your Council's Scouting for Food organizer, you might want to ask him to remind Units to attach a note to each bag with their unit # and of course a word of thanks for donating food.

[CalicoPenn]

By all means, contact your councils Scouting for Food coordinator. I know of some units in small town rural areas that drop the bags off at folks homes with publicity in the local newspaper about the program and signs up in business windows where the intention is for the bag with food to be left at various business drop points during the week (like the local grocery store, fire station, library, restaurant) so that people can fill the bag, if they wish, at their leisure and not have to worry about whether they will be home the next Saturday to deliver the bag. I'm not saying this is what is happening in your area but I would suggest the possibility isn't that remote.

 

CalicoPenn

[ScoutNut]

Sometimes Scouting for Food is tied into the USPS Food Drive. Maybe USPS Letter Carriers were supposed to be picking up the food in your area.

 

If your Pack participated, then you should know who the coordinator was for your District. Give him a call.

[Newbie Den Leader]

QUOTE: "Better yet, have two scouts go to each house, introduce themselves and why are there, then ask for a donation. This requires only one weekend, the scouts get to personally meet and speak with the community and have a chance to spread the good news of scouting. The scouts in turn practice communication and being friendly, courteous and kind."

 

Eagledad,

One of our Cub Scouts did exactly that and had great results. We appluaded his efforts and "thinking outside of the box". We will be trying this next year.

--Jeff(This message has been edited by Newbie Den Leader)

[purcelce]

Ahhh...Scouting for Food coordination.

 

Back in 2002 and 2003 I was the FOS coordinator for Scott Air Plane Patch. Now doing FOS on a military installation takes a butt load of paperwork, getting initials from some 2Lt who didn't know he was in charge of signing of on community stuff, Staff summary sheets for the Base commander, Legal office to look over it...you get the picture.

 

After getting all this goatroap of paperwork knocked out 3 Troops and 1 Pack hit the streets on bag day, and pick up day. In every bag was a note saying that had instructions to Please leave the bag out on pick up day OUTSIDE the front door before 10AM, and if there were any problems to call me. Things went well on pick up, we got a ton of stuff and it looked to be a success.

 

Come Monday morning the Phone call came in. There were a few legitimate pick up snafus due to kids missing a house or two. But what really got my goat was the moronic things. Here are a few in no particular order.

 

1. "I just went to the grocery store, have somebody come and pick up my donation now"

2. "Nobody pick up my stuff." Why? "I placed it in the back of my truck"

3. "Nobody picked up my stuff." What time did you set out your bag? "5 pm on pick up day."

3. "Nobody pick up my stuff." Why? "I left it in the mailbox"

4. "Why didn't you guys knock on the door? I was home"

 

Moral of the story...Morons are everywhere. God loves everybody. Even doing a good thing can become a headache. Laught at yourself, cuz you have done something like the above at least once in your lifetime.(This message has been edited by purcelce)

[sweetspiritpamh]

As Eagle dad and newbie den leader replied, Our group also knocks on the door and collects food right away. Then if someone isn't home we put a note on their front door and go back around that evening at about 5pm. We spend much effect on 1 full day and beleive we were supported more than just a bag on the door. Its a service project that any scout anywhere can take part in and know that everyone can make a diffence no matter who or where they are.