OGDEN, Utah — Thousands of Utah scouts are working to end food insecurity. The Crossroads of the West Council of Scouting America held a statewide food drive in early February.
Along with members of the Utah National Guard, the scouts set up outside Smith’s locations to collect donations from customers. “Our scouts and volunteers, they are the ones doing the heavy lifting here,” said Allen Endicott, the Scout Executive for the Crossroads of the West Council. “They get very excited when people come out and they have things to donate to the drive.”
Initial estimates indicate the drive collected at least 130,000 pounds of food. “It feels good to help other people and they know they are helping other people,” said Lorna Koci, the food drive chairperson.
All of the food collected will help the neighbors of those who donated. “That food stays local. It doesn’t go to a large warehouse. It goes to the pantries in the communities where it was collected,” Endicott said.
In the process of helping others, the scouts learned valuable life lessons. “It gives them skills they aren't learning in other place,” Koci said. “It gives them opportunities to learn leadership, it gives them teamwork skills, it shares so much with them.”
For their efforts to fight food insecurity, the Crossroads of the West Council is being recognized as the Smith’s Zero Hunger Hero for the month of February.