Boy Scouts Go Door-to-Door to Collect Food for Bay Area Food Banks on Nov. 19

Nationwide food drive helps meet crucial need for Thanksgiving

One of the nation’s largest single-day food drives takes place this Saturday, Nov. 19, when Boy Scouts will go door-to-door collecting non-perishable food for local food banks.

In the Bay Area, more than 40,000 Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Venturers, Explorers and their supporters will be “Scouting For Food” by picking up boxed or bagged non-perishable food placed on doorsteps by 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19.

Residences on the Scouts’ collection routes have received a door-hanger promoting the drive on Nov. 12. Residents who did not receive a door-hanger are not on a collection route, but they can still contribute by dropping off donations on November 19 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at locations listed at www.bayareahunger.org.

Many Scout troops including the Piedmont Council and Oakland Cub Scouts Pack 296 are also hosting online Virtual Food Drives to help raise money for Food Banks to purchase their most-needed food items. 

“The need for food in our communities has risen dramatically this year, and we’re bracing for record-breaking demand this holiday season,” said Suzan Bateson, executive director of the Alameda County Community Food Bank. “Food Banks rely on the Scouting for Food drive to provide healthy staples that will go directly to families facing hunger this winter, and year-round.”

Last year the drive brought in more than 400,000 pounds of food. In the Bay Area, the Scouts’ goal is to collect 500,000 pounds of food this year.

“We can take substantial steps toward ending hunger by working together,” said Tim Buchen of the San Francisco Bay Area Council of Boy Scouts of America. “But even with 40,000 Scouts on collection routes, we can’t hit every doorstep. So it’s critical that people help us out by dropping off food at their local site or participating in a Scout troop’s Virtual Food Drive.”

Whole Foods Market, Safeway, Lucky, FoodMaxx, Mi Pueblo Food Center and Berkeley Bowl locations throughout the Bay Area have in-store barrels to accept donations for Bay Area food banks throughout the holiday season.

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Boy Scouts Contact

Tim Buchen
San Francisco Bay Area Council, Boy Scouts of America
(510) 577-9000 x 207 tim.buchen@scouting.org

Food Bank Contacts

Alameda County Community Food Bank
Michael Altfest (510) 684-8655 maltfest@accfb.org

Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
Lisa Sherrill (925) 408-7655 lsherrill@foodbankccs.org

San Francisco Food Bank
Stacy Newman (415) 282-1900, ext 270 snewman@sffb.org

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
Caitlin Kerk (408) 858-9208 ckerk@shfb.org

Note to media: Feel free to list any of the Scouting for Food drop-off sites on Saturday (Nov. 19), listed below, in your coverage area (sites are also listed on www.bayareahunger.org). Site hours differ, but 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. is generally accurate. For coverage purposes, these sites provide great visuals and interviews. All Bay Area Food Banks will be open on Saturday afternoon to receive and sort truck shipments from Scouting for Food collections sites.

ALAMEDA COUNTY (10)

Berkeley
St. Mary Magdalen School
2005 Berryman St.

Castro Valley
Proctor Elementary School
7520 Redwood Road

Fremont
Latter Day Saints Church
3551 Decoto Road

Hayward
Southland Mall
660 West Winton Ave. (Sears Auto Mall parking lot)

Livermore
Lucky Supermarket
2000 Portola Blvd.

Pleasanton
Walmart
4501 Rosewood Drive

Oakland
Alameda County Community Food Bank
7900 Edgewater Drive

Montclair Elementary School
1757 Mountain Blvd., south parking lot

Grocery Outlet
2900 Broadway

San Leandro
Boy Scout Office/Leadership Training Center
1001 Davis St.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY (11)

Antioch
Antioch Latter Day Saints Church
3013 Rio Grande Drive

Antioch Latter Day Saints Stake Center
2350 Jeffery Way

Brentwood
Brentwood Latter Day Saints Church
1101 McClarren Road

Concord
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
4010 Nelson Ave.

Farm Bureau Hall
5554 Clayton Road

Oak Grove Latter Day Saints Church
2930 Treat Blvd.

Danville
Danville Latter Day Saints Stake Center
655 Old Orchard Drive

Discovery Bay
Fire Station #59
1685 Bixler Road

Richmond
Hilltop Latter Day Saints Church
4351 Hilltop Drive

Lafayette
Moraga Latter Day Saints Church
3776 Via Granada

Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill Latter Day Saints Church
555 Boyd Road

MARIN COUNTY (1)

Novato
Marin Food Bank
75 Digital Drive


SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY (1)

San Francisco
San Francisco Food Bank
900 Pennsylvania Ave.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY (11)

Campbell
Home Church
1799 Winchester Blvd., Suite 100

Cupertino
West Valley Community Services Center
10104 Vista Drive

Gilroy
St Joseph's Family Center
7950 Church St., Suite A (behind St. Mary's)

Los Altos
Los Altos City Hall
One North San Antonio Road

Milpitas
Milpitas Food Pantry
196 S. Main St.

Mountain View
El Camino Hospital
2500 Grant Road

Palo Alto
Latter Day Saints Church
3865 Middlefield Road

San Jose
Second Harvest Food Bank
750 Curtner Ave.

Sacred Heart
1381 South First St.

The Lord's Pantry
Behind Gloria Dei Lutheran Church on White Road near Alum Rock Ave.

Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale Community Services Center
725 Kifer Road

SAN MATEO COUNTY (5)

El Granada
Coastside Hope
99 Avenue Alhambra

Half Moon Bay

Coastside Hope

214 Harvard Ave.

Pacifica
Pacifica Resource Center

1809 Palmetto Ave.

San Carlos

Second Harvest Food Bank

1051 Bing Street

South San Francisco
Salvation Army South San Francisco Citadel Corps
409 S. Spruce St.


SOLANO COUNTY (3)

Benicia
Benicia City Park
250 E. L St.

Fairfield
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
2339 Courage Drive, Suite F

Vallejo
Elks Lodge
2850 Redwood Parkway