LYNN HAVEN — The Lake Sands District Boy Scout Units will continue their mission to “do a good deed daily” with a food drive this month.
Scouts will drop off grocery bags Jan. 24 at houses in various neighborhoods throughout Bay County, including the Hammocks and Derby Woods in Lynn Haven, the Cove in Panama City and neighborhoods in Panama City Beach and others. The bags will contain fliers asking residents to fill them with nonperishable food items.
Scouts will pick up the bags the following Saturday, Jan. 31. Scouting for Food chairman Kevin Hall suggested residents donate items like peanut butter, jelly, dried cereals and canned meats, vegetables and fruits, but no glass containers be donated. Homeowners are asked to place the food items in the bags on their front porch, steps or at the end of driveways early in the morning.
“Feeding the hungry — that’s the bottom line; that’s the main goal,” Hall said.
The food collected will be distributed to three area food banks: St. Andrews Baptist Church’s Center of Hope, Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida and the Gulf Beach Presbyterian Church food bank.
This is the second year local Boy Scouts have participated in the drive, a national project of the Boy Scouts of America going back more than 25 years. Last year’s drive collected 3,400 pounds of food, and Hall hopes more will come in this year.
“I’d love to get about 10,000 pounds,” he said.
Scouts will count, weigh and sort the food inthe parking lot of Wal-Mart on State 77 in Lynn Haven on Jan. 31, Hall said. Wal-Mart also will allow Scouts to stand by the store entrance and ask for donations. Interested shoppers can purchase food items inside to donate on their way back out.
Due to limited manpower, not every house in the area can receive a grocery bag and pickup service, but Hall invited any interested locals to drop off donations at Wal-Mart on Jan. 31.
“They won’t even have to get out of the vehicle. We’ll have it set up where they can just drive right on by and drop it off,” Hall said. “This is a rain-or-shine event.”
Hall said the organization will have people at Wal-Mart from 8 a.m. to about 4 p.m. accepting and tallying donations.