CHARLOTTE, N.C. — WCNC Charlotte is teaming up with the Boy Scouts of America to help fight hunger in our community through the Scouting For Food drive.
On Saturday, January 30 Scouts went door-to-door handing out door tags for Scouting For Food.
“We know the pandemic has affected a lot of people in our community. Your neighbor, friend, or coworker may be struggling to put food on the table. WCNC Charlotte is making a difference in the community by partnering with the Boy Scouts of America to help those in need,” said Joan Barrett, WCNC Charlotte President and General Manager.
If you received a door tag and are able to give, fill any bag with non-perishable food and place it on your front porch Saturday morning, February 6 by 9 a.m. for the Scouts to collect. Priority needs include canned fruit (in fruit juice), canned meats, canned pasta, low sodium canned vegetables, cereal, and corn muffin mix. We are especially in need of low sodium, low fat and low-sugar items. No glass items, please.
Scouts will be in neighborhoods collecting food in the following areas: Mecklenburg, York, Lancaster, Anson, Union, Cabarrus, Rowan, Stanly.
Mecklenburg County Council
All Scout units in Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, and the six towns, belong to the Mecklenburg County Council Boy Scouts of America. The food collected through Scouting For Food benefits Loaves & Fishes.
Scouting for Food is the super bowl of food drives for Loaves & Fishes – their largest community-wide food drive of the year.
“Since March of last year, the need has exploded at the same time as food drives have decreased due to the pandemic,” said Tina Postal, Director of Loaves & Fishes. “We depend on the food donated to restock pantry shelves depleted during the busy holiday season.”
Last year, Loaves & Fishes provided a week’s worth of groceries to over 120,000 people in Mecklenburg County, a dramatic increase over the number served the previous year.
Anyone who did not receive a door hanger can still give. Donations could be dropped off, drive through style, at any of these locations on Saturday, Feb. 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 7, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at certain locations (indicated below) OR Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Loaves & Fishes warehouse located at 648 Griffith Road.
Scouts will be on hand to collect donations on Saturday, Feb. 6 at multiple locations including:
- Ada Jenkins Center
212 Gamble St., Davidson (Saturday, Feb. 6 only drop-off site) - Arboretum Shopping Center
Providence Rd. & Highway 51 (across from the Harris Teeter), Charlotte - Huntersville United Methodist Church
14005 Stumptown Rd., Huntersville - Philadelphia Presbyterian Church
11501 Bain School Rd., Mint Hill (Saturday, Feb. 6 only drop-off site) - Sharon Presbyterian Church
5201 Sharon Rd., Charlotte - South Mecklenburg Presbyterian
8601 Bryant Farms Rd, Charlotte (Saturday, Feb. 6 only drop-off site) - Steele Creek Athletic Association
13530 Choate Circle, Charlotte (Saturday, Feb. 6 only drop-off site) - Town Center Plaza
8600 University City Blvd., Charlotte - Trinity Presbyterian Church
3115 Providence Rd., Charlotte (Saturday, Feb. 6 only drop-off site)
Boy Scouts of America Central North Carolina Council
The Central NC Council serves Anson, Cabarrus, Montgomery, Richmond, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties. Food collected by the Scouts goes to various food pantries.
Most food pantries in the area were open Saturday, Feb. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to collect any donations that the Scouts did not collect.
“Scouting for Food is our annual food drive that our Scouts do every year,” explained Kyle Camp, Program Director of Boy Scouts of America Central North Carolina Council. “Scouts collect non-perishable food items to deliver to food pantries in our service area. What is collected will go to help families in need in Anson, Cabarrus, Montgomery, Richmond, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties. Scouting for Food goes a long way in helping those that might be in need in our communities.”
Boy Scouts of America Palmetto Council
The Palmetto Council serves York and Lancaster counties. Food collected benefits various pantries.
Grace Presbyterian Church on Highway 160 in Fort Mill is one of the main collection points for Scouting For Food. Various Scouts groups run the routes to collect the food in the community and bring the donations to the church for sorting.
Donations were able to be dropped off at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2955 SC-160, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6.
The donations can also be made to the following locations:
Clover
Clover Area Assistance Center
1130 State Hwy 55 E, Clover, SC 29710
York
PATH in York
35 S. Congress St. York, SC 29745
Rock Hill
Pilgrims’ Inn
236 W Main St, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Hope
411 Park Ave, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Fort Mill
Fort Mill Care Center
2760 Old Nation Rd, Fort Mill, SC 29715
Indian Land
Belair United Methodist Church
8095 Shelley Mullis Road, Indian Land, SC
Lancaster
HOPE
2008 Pageland Hwy, Lancaster, SC 29720
Chester
Purity Presbyterian Church
135 Wylie St, Chester, SC 29706