Scouting for Food scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 7

Scouts across Utah, southern Idaho and western Wyoming will fan out to grocery stores on Saturday, Feb. 7, for Scouting for Food, one of the region’s largest youth-led service projects. This year’s drive marks the program’s 40th anniversary and ties into the upcoming nationwide celebration of the America’s 250th birthday.
Scouts in the troop serving central and northern Sanpete County will be at Walmart and Terrel’s from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Gary Cole, a Scout leader.
Customers can simply add nonperishable items to their carts and drop them off with Scouts at booths outside the stores. Items most needed include canned fruits and vegetables, canned soup, canned meats, peanut butter, paper products and toiletries.
Last year, Scouts from the Crossroads of the West Council collected 120,000 pounds of food through the drive.
The campaign theme, “Serving Others… It’s the American Way,” connects to the America250 celebration leading up to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026.
“Scouting for Food is more than a service project. It’s a living expression of what makes America strong: neighbors helping neighbors,” said Lorna Koci, Scouting for Food chair for the Crossroads of the West Council.
“When youth serve others, they learn compassion, leadership and responsibility, values that have guided our nation for generations.”
The need is significant. According to Utah Food Bank, 445,000 Utahns, including one in five children, are experiencing food insecurity, an increase of nearly 100,000 people in just one year. Rising costs, economic pressures and a reduction in federal food benefits continue to push more families into crisis.
Locally, the Sanpete Pantry serves as the county’s primary food assistance organization. Based in Mt. Pleasant, the pantry distributed more than 543,000 meals last year, serving over 8,300 families.
In addition to its main facility, the pantry operates a mobile food truck that takes food to the Gunnison Valley, Snow College and other drop points. It also runs a Kids- Pack program that sends children home with weekend meals.
For more information about Scouting for Food donation sites, visit utahscouts.org/scoutingforfood.