WCVB-TV and WMUR-TV Join Forces with Boy Scouts on Largest 1-Day Food Drive in New England

On November 12, 2016 Boy Scouts from across Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire will be out collecting non-perishable items for neighborhood food pantries. The one-day collection drive, called ‘Scouting For Food,’ is the Boy Scouts’ largest service project of the year. Here’s how it works:

This past Saturday, November 5th, Scouts distributed door hangers in their local neighborhoods informing residents of the collection day. The Scouts asked residents to place non-perishable food items in a bag outside their front door the following Saturday. Then, on the 12th, the Scouts will return to collect the food and deliver it to a local food pantry. Through this effort 38,000 youth members and 12,000 Scout volunteers in more than 15 counties will be participating this year. The Boy Scouts hope that they will surpass last year’s collection of 500,000 pounds of food.

Hearst Television Stations WCVB (Boston) and WMUR (Manchester) are supporting the effort through televised public service announcements, digital promotion and social media. WCVB is partnering with the Scouts for a third year in a row with WCVB Meteorologists Harvey Leonard and Mike Wankum as the face of the Massachusetts campaign.

"Scouting for Food is a tremendous program that helps thousands of local families in need around the holiday season. It is inspiring to see our local youth coming together in such a big way to make a vital difference in their community," said Bill Fine, WCVB President and General Manager. “WCVB is happy to help spread the word, once again, as a media partner for this important initiative.”

WMUR joins the effort for the first time in 2016. “We are pleased to be able to help the Boy Scouts collect food for families that need it. This is a great project and we are confident that the people of New Hampshire will come through for the Boy Scouts and local food pantries,” said WMUR President and General Manager Jeff Bartlett. WMUR Meteorologist Kevin Skarupa is serving as the face of their New Hampshire collection drive.

This year several Massachusetts organizations have come together to support Scouting For Food, including Consigli Construction CEO Anthony Consigli, who returns as Honorary Chairman for the 2016 Scouting for Food Drive.

“Every year thousands of families go hungry, often making the heart breaking choice between paying to keep kids warm or keeping them fed. This holiday season, we can impact the lives thousands of children who need help the most by contributing to Scouting for Food. This program is a positive example of the BSA’s long-standing commitment to community service and teaches the core values of Scouting to our youth,” said Consigli.

For more information, visit scoutingforfood.info.org, or to learn how your child can participate in Scouting at any age, please visit beascout.org.