Scouting for Food – gardenstatecouncil.instawp.xyz

Scouting for Food 2026

Fighting Hunger, One Bag at a Time

Scouting for Food is the Garden State Council's signature annual service project, and one of the most impactful ways our Scouts give back to the communities they call home. Each year, Scouts across six counties collect non-perishable food items for families and individuals facing hunger. In 2025, units collected over 115,000 pounds of food, and in 2026, we are aiming to do it again.

The need is real. One in five children and one in 12 seniors face food insecurity in New Jersey, with an estimated 900,000 people relying on food banks to survive. Scouting for Food has been answering that call since 1988, when it launched as a National Good Turn, and the tradition continues today.

Young Scouts and adult volunteers preparing sandwiches and salad together in a camp kitchen.

Thank You to Our Presenting Sponsor

We are proud to partner with the Associated Builders and Contractors of New Jersey (ABC-NJ) as the presenting sponsor of Scouting for Food. Now in its fourth year of partnership with Garden State Council, ABC-NJ's support makes it possible to provide units with 100,000 reusable bags distributed across all six counties we serve.

ABC-NJ is also committed to building the next generation of skilled tradespeople. Their U.S. DOL Apprenticeship programs offer paid, on-the-job training in over 21 trades.

Learn more at ABC-NJ Apprenticeships

2026 Campaign Dates

These dates follow our traditional second and third weekend of November schedule to maximize community participation.

NEW Reusable Scouting for Food Bag Distribution: November 8, 2026 | Donation Collection: November 15, 2026

Bag Drop-Off

Saturday, November 14, 2026

Bag Pick-Up

Saturday, November 21, 2026 (beginning after 10:00 AM)

Leaders Guide

Order Reusable SFF Bag

Earning the Scouting for Food Patch

Unit Leaders: Scouts can earn this year's Scouting for Food patch by dropping off collected items at one of our partner food bank locations and reporting results to Garden State Council representatives on-site.

Prefer to use your local food bank? Submit your service results online by midnight on Monday, November 18, and patches will be available for pick-up.

When reporting volunteer hours, simply enter the number of volunteers in each category and the number of hours spent. The reporting tool will calculate the totals for you.

Questions?
Reach out to the Scouting for Food committee at scoutingforfood@gardenstatescouting.org.

Our Food Bank Partners

Drop donated items at your local food pantry or at designated partner locations throughout the Council area. We are proud to work with the Food Bank of South Jersey and the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, both of which will have volunteers on-site to accept donations on November 18. See the Leaders Guide for a full list of drop-off locations.

Support Our Scouting Troops

Support can take many forms: Donate through Friends of Scouting, purchase popcorn or camp cards from a local Scout, attend our Women of Achievement dinner or regional Citizenship Awards dinners, and so much more. Your support of Scouting enables Garden State Council to support the experiences of nearly 5,000 youth throughout South Jersey!

Donate