Scouting for Food is an annual food-collection drive, and one of the many service projects Scouting America has conducted since 1910.

Over 13% of residents in our council - 152,720 people - are projected to face food insecurity this year. In some areas, 1 in 3 children go to bed hungry. 1 in 8 neighbors wonder when they will find their next meal. Many of our local Food Banks cannot meet this massive demand, and they need our help. Scouting America can help make an impact by participating in Scouting for Food. Tidewater Council's 2026 goal is to canvas our communities with over 700 volunteers and collect 23,500 pounds of non-perishable food items. The demand for food is great and we can make a difference! We can help our neighbors during these difficult times.

The plan is simple:

• Sign up at 247scouting.com/forms/596-SFF2026 and pick up supplies (bags) by scheduling with your district executive.
• Distribute collection bags in your selected area beginning on the weekend of February 21-22, 2026.
• Pick up the food left outside homes at the date you have listed on your collection bags. If this weekend does not work for your unit, feel free to adjust this schedule. The goal is to have food to the local food pantries or council office no later that March 1, 2026 at 4 PM. If there are multiple units in your area, please coordinate with them to ensure neighborhoods are not duplicated.
• Deliver the food to your chartered organization’s food pantry or to the council office on: Sunday, February 22, 2026 from 12-4 PM or March 1, 2026 from 12-4 PM. Food delivered to the council office will be donated to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia & The Eastern Shore. We will need help packing up the boxes on February 22 and March 1, so volunteers are appreciated.

**Remember to report the amount of food collected, number of participants and your service hours to  https://247scouting.com/forms/596-SFF26. Forms must be submitted no later than March 16, 2026.

Please help decrease food insecuriy facing local families and increase Scouting’s visibility!