Sunset Foods And The Boy Scouts Team Up To Squash Hunger

HIGHLAND PARK, Illinois – Sunset Foods and Boy Scouts of the Northeast Illinois Council are joining forces the first two Saturdays of March to ensure food bank cupboards do not go bare as part of the Scouting for Food drive. Starting March 1, each pack, troop, team, and crew of the Northeast Illinois Council will work together to distribute door hangers to approximately 100,000 homes throughout their region in hopes that donations of nonperishable food will pour in. Last year, the program collected 37 tons of food at nine sites in the council’s region. The foodstuffs, which were expected to last three months, were earmarked for 80 pantries and food kitchens in northeast Illinois.

The following Saturday, March 8, the Scouts will return to collect the donations. People also can visit any Sunset Foods location March 1-8 to drop off donations of canned foods, boxed cereals, and similar items. Scouts will be on site from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to collect the food.

Scouting for Food, part of the Good Turn for America initiative, is as much a part of Scouting as the young volunteers’ uniforms and is designed to do more than collect food for needy families in the region.

“Especially now, with the way things are, it’s important for the kids to understand that this could be going to their classmates; this could be going to other parents in Lake County and Northern Cook County,” said one Scouting volunteer in a promotional video on the Northeast Illinois Council’s Website. “Even at a hard time, people still are going to give to help other people. That’s one of the big principles of Scouting.

Thaddeus Tazioli, vice president of marketing at Sunset Foods, said working with the Scouts harmonizes with the company’s mission to give back to the community.

“We are proud to partner with the Scouts in this nationally recognized initiative. It is very gratifying to play a role in a program that instills values in kids and helps out the needy. We couldn’t be happier to be involved.”

In the past 10 years, Sunset Foods and the Northeast Illinois Council have collected more than 500,000 tons of food through the Scouting for Food program.

More about Sunset Foods

Sunset Foods is a privately owned neighborhood supermarket dedicated to making grocery shopping a pleasurable experience by providing the finest customer service and ensuring an outstanding selection of food, liquor, floral and other items at competitive prices. Sunset has expanded from its modest beginnings in 1937, and now employs approximately 900 employees at its stores in Highland Park, Lake Forest, Libertyville, Long Grove, and Northbrook. In addition to carrying a wide variety of foods, including ethnic brands and specialty health and organic items, Sunset provides its customers with cooking classes, free nutrition store tours, and more.

More about the Northeast Illinois Council

The Northeast Illinois Council of Boy Scouts of America comprises three districts: Aptakisic, North Star, and Potawatomi. Each district has a district executive who supports the packs, troops, crews, teams, and posts in the district.