Just one day before it was set to begin, Perryville's version of the Scouting for Food drive was cancelled. Community Leader Sherry Watson said it was tough news to take.
“Our council is out of St. Louis, and St. Louis County had some new guidelines come out and they just made it a blanket for the entire area that they cover,” Watson said. “The reasoning they gave was because of the rising cases of COVID-19.”
The local Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops were scheduled to begin handing out the donation bags to homes, Friday Nov. 13.
“It’s disappointing for all involved, especially our scout troops because I know how much they enjoy it,” Watson said.
The Scouting for Food drive has taken place for more than 30 years and is a long-standing tradition around the holiday season. Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops deliver the donation bags to homes in the city of Perryville. Residents fill those bags with canned and non-perishable food items that are then collected, sorted and distributed to the local food pantries. Scouting for Food is the largest service project the scouts do this time of year. It is always in November, and is usually a combined effort with 50 to 75 kids, sometimes more, going out to help hand out and collect bags of donations.
Last year, the drive collected about 6,000 items, which was an increase of the 4,600 items distributed in 2018. Even though the food drive was cancelled for 2020, Watson still encourages people to donate to the three local food pantries in Perryville: The St. Vincent Ladies of Charity, The Immanuel Lutheran Food Pantry, and the First Baptist Church.
“Whether it’s a financial donation or food item, the food pantries are always in need of help,” Watson said.
The Scouting for Food drive still plans on continuing the holiday tradition in 2021.
“The plan is to definitely come back next year,” Watson said.
