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2020 Scouting For Food Update!

September 30, 2020 by Eric Smith

The fall NCAC Scouting for Food Drive is ON! We are now experiencing an historic national emergency that has created extraordinary needs. Just as they did in times of world war and those calls for sacrifice by the American people, Scouts and Scouting can demonstrate their devotion to community service by helping to meet the greatly increased food demands while keeping themselves safe. Local food banks are being overwhelmed by requests from families that lack emergency financial resources and have not had the ability to stockpile food. They need donations of shelf-stable food, toiletries, and other items.

Units and Districts can and should conduct food drives now, and in November in particular. We will not be using bags or stickers that restrict us to a single date, and, with safety paramount in our minds, our methods must change. Any Council Scouting for Food drive must be completed within local and council guidelines, including those governing small group size, glove and mask use, limited contacts, and social distancing. A 2020 Scouting for Food Safety Protocol has been reviewed and approved by the council Enterprise Risk Management Committee and shall be reviewed and followed in all stages of any drive. All unit safety plans shall be submitted to their district Scouting for Food chair and District Executive; district safety plans shall be submitted to the District Executive for review and approval.

Running a safe food drive. There are many ways to collect food and maintain social distancing, like “front yard” collections and drive-through food drives (see some examples at https://weownadventure.com/star–scout–organizes–no–contact–food–drive/ and https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2020/04/24/with–front–yard–and–drive–thru– donationsscouts–keep–scouting–for–food–going/. This year the council will not allow Scouts to solicit donations door-to-door, and any group sizes shall be kept to 6-8 persons, perfect for dens and patrols. Other options could be to utilize a large empty parking lot, park, or well- traveled street for drop offs, to set up near a grocery store, or to work with a food bank to accept donations directly. Be creative! Scouts, Scouters and helpers who staff drop-off sites shall not do any sorting and packing inside a building, only entering one to use the bathroom. Drivers bringing donations to a drop-off site, and their passengers, are encouraged to wear face masks.

Promoting your local food drive. In November, the council will provide wide promotion in its social media accounts, website, and by email, but local drives may also use neighborhood, church, and school list serves, roadside signs, emails, social media posts, and stories submitted to www.weownadventure.com – our Scouting blog. Remember to identify your unit!

How to start and operate:

  1. It is especially important that units and districts first contact their intended food or feeding agency recipient to ascertain their needs, requirements, and procedures. Some cannot accept food now, lack resources to sort or pick up food, have special requests for packaging, or limit drop-off periods.
  2. Make a plan that conforms to all state, local, and council guidelines. If you have questions about safety protocols, please review the 2020 Scouting for Food Safety Protocols and the FAQ section. Your event safety plan shall be submitted to your district Scouting for Food chair and District Executive, who can also answer questions.
  3. Make sure that you take this opportunity to educate your Scouts on the value of what they are doing and their duty to help others through community service – this is part of the ethics of Scouting and will enhance their experience.
  4. Units should let their district Scouting for Food coordinator know what they are doing, when their drive will take place, and what help they need. Districts may either choose to coordinate unit food drives as they have in the past or they may allow units to run them independently.
  5. Create promotional materials, distribute them in your area in both physical and virtual space, and use available council promotional resources.
  6. Perform your food drive safely and deliver the food as directed by your food agency.
  7. Report your results (food quantity, hours of service, and number of volunteers) to your district Scouting for Food Coordinator.
  8. Report your unit’s service hours in your Scoutbook account.

This is a time for Scouting to show its commitment to helping others. Individual Scouts or entire units can help, so decide how you can safely proceed, make a plan, and enlist others. Stay safe, and thanks for your part in making more caring community.

There are a variety of ways to conduct a safe, legally compliant, socially distant food drive to serve the community. In Scouting our priority must always be the safety of our Scouts and any other event participants. To this end, group sizes shall be kept small and the following protocols shall be followed in planning and executing community food drives.

Scouting for Food Safety Protocols

Before the Event

  1. Make sure you understand state and local guidelines for your event – they must be followed. Check the latest advice from the NCAC and get permission from your chartering organization for the event. Consult the BSA’s Restart Scouting Checklist as you plan your event (https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/680–pdf). And do not forget the all Youth Protection guidelines must always be followed (e.g., two-deep registered leadership at all times, no one-on-one contact, etc.)
  2. Ask prospective participants to exclude themselves and stay at home if they (a) are at high-risk for COVID-19 under CDC guidelines (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, or any heart or lung condition), (b) have a fever, cough, loss of taste, headaches, or breathing irregularities, (c) have had a recent exposure to someone with COVID-19, or (d) have had a recent positive test for the virus (the “Health Risk Conditions”.) See the Model Pre-Event Medical Screening Checklist (https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/680–pdf) and the list of symptoms in the Restart Scouting Checklist.
  3. Confirm that you have Parts A and B of the BSA Annual Health and Medical Form for each participant.
  4. Assemble needed safety materials: masks for those who may not have one, hand sanitizer, a handwashing station (if feasible), and cones/tape/ropes or other ways to mark proper distancing.
  5. Prepare and distribute a permission slip which acknowledges the inherent risks of participation in any activity and asks parents/guardians to assume the risk (just as you would – hopefully – for any campout or activity.) You may use the suggested BSA form (https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/19–pdf) or a similar one that includes the same or similar language and an acknowledgement that any participant must obey the special requirements and instructions of the leaders or they will be asked to leave.
  6. Designate a safety monitor to take charge of and ensure compliance with all protocols.

During the Event

  1. Upon arrival at the event site, all participants are to (a) deliver their permission slip, (b) confirm to the safety monitor that they do not have any Health Risk Conditions on the Model Pre-Event Medical Screening Checklist, (c) have their temperature taken (either at the work site of by a parent at home and confirmed by them), (d) be instructed in and confirm that they understand the safety protocols for the event, including maintaining a proper social distance from all other participants and properly wearing a mask.
  2. Group sizes shall be kept small (8-10 maximum.) Greater participation can be accommodated with proper scheduling and timed entry and exit.
  3. Masks shall always be worn. Use and provide effective (no bandanas), that tightly fit over the mouth and nose.
  4. Hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) shall always be available, and a handwashing station set up if practicable. Both the sanitizer and the handwashing shall last at least 20 seconds and be done frequently if handling food products. The safety monitor shall recommend and supervise use when appropriate.
  5. All participants shall strive to maintain a social distance of at least six feet, using planned operations that minimize close and person-to-person contact. Visitors, such as those dropping off or picking up food, shall similarly be kept at a safe distance as a part of the event plan.
  6. There shall be limited or no sharing of items such as tools, but if they are shared, they shall be cleaned with antiseptic wipes or alcohol between users.
  7. If food and drink are needed, they shall be self-contained, such as self-packed lunches, personal water bottles, disposable utensils, and separately prepared and packaged individual portions.
  8. Any participant who exhibits any symptoms of COVID-19 during the event shall be immediately separated and isolated, and arrangements made to send them home or for medical care.

After the Event

  1. All participants shall monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days after the event and report to their leaders if they experience any such symptoms. During this time, they should avoid contact with high-risk individuals.
  2. If there are any participant reports of symptoms or a positive test for COVID-19 within 14 days of the event, leaders shall complete an Incident report (scouting.org/healthand-safety/incident-report/) and contact their District Executive. Further instructions for this form can be found at https://www.scouting.org/health-and- safety/incidentreport/covid-19-incidents-exposures-supplemental-instructions/.

FAQ

Can non-family members ride in the same vehicle?

Only family members may be in the same car. If there are families that are doing a bubble (e.g. two families may have a bubble where their family members can be together) they can also be in the same car. Parents of Scouts that intend to have people outside their family in their car must notify the leader of their unit in advance and if the unit of their leader does not think this is safe, the unit leader can forbid this.

What about Scouts who are sick, disabled or excluded because of COVID-19 exposure?

Unit leaders should take into consideration and Scouts or Scouters who are medically vulnerable or who have members of their household who are medically vulnerable. It would be helpful to find a way for those Scouts to participate. For example, they could assist the SFF coordinator of their unit or district remotely by helping to promote the drive.

How do I set up a drop-off station?

One way would be to create separate sub-stations within the parking lot or drop-off area, with vehicles directed to drop off donations at each sub-station (maybe without getting out of the car.)  The sub-stations could be 20 feet apart and the perimeter of each sub-station marked with tape or chalk. Only two people at a time could be allowed to be at a given sub-station, and those people should try to stay 6 feet away from each other. Youth Protection Policies must be followed, and 2 adult leaders must be present at all times.

What should I do if I have a large unit that wants to participate?

Such a unit could either use a central location and assign volunteers to specific work times in order to limit the group size, or you could plan to let the dens and patrols run their own mini- drives either at the same or different times. One unit designed their food drive to be an individual effort and left the decision as to level of effort to each scout family.

Although we cannot do door-to-door solicitations, can we arrange to pick up food from front porches? How about going door-to-door to deliver food drive notices?

You may pick-up food from front porches because it does not require person-to-person contact. These pick-ups will probably be arranged by phone or email. The use of gloves when handling these food donations would be a prudent precaution. The council does not want you to deliver flyers or other notices door-to-door, however; there are other ways to run food drives.

What if the food bank in my area will not accept food donations directly?

If your food bank is unable to accept food donations directly, or your unit chooses to do so, please consider looking at your food banks’ options and consider other giving options. At the end of the Scouting for Food campaign, provide input on the total number of goods delivered by any means.

Should every unit make separate arrangements with their intended food agencies, or will the district or council do it?

Every unit that intends to collect food for a food agency needs to make sure that it can deliver it in the way that the agency desires. While the council will not make these contacts, it is highly desirable that the district Scouting for Food chair learn what the needs and procedures will be for any common agencies, and then let the units know. If the units wish to deliver food on a separate schedule, they should make their own arrangements.

Filed Under: Scouting At Home Tagged With: helpful, scouting for food

A Second Aquia District Scouts BSA No-Contact Food Drive in August – Continuing to Serve Stafford Safely

September 18, 2020 by Mike Haas

As summer drew to a close, Aquia District Scouts BSA focused their efforts on helping Stafford Community residents by holding a second No Contact Food Drive on August 22, 2020, due to the planning and leadership of Aquia District Scouter Laura Curran. Scouts and their families suspended their preparations for the school year for a moment and instead did their Good Turn by collecting 4,353 pounds of food to help replenish the dwindling supplies of local Stafford County pantries.

Like the Scouts BSA food drive service project in May, the goal was to support local pantries and keep Scouts, their families, pantry volunteers and donors all safe by maintaining safe physical distancing. Scouts were asked to help in whatever way they deemed appropriate for their family’s circumstances. When Scouts answered the call, they spread the word of the event virtually, shared flyers with neighbors and donned masks to collect donations from doorsteps and driveways. Some Scout units worked with their neighborhood homeowners’ associations to share information and created neighborhood collections points. The drop off point for residents who heard about the drive was operated with safety of all at the forefront.

Stafford pantries were grateful for the donations, as the need to help those affected by the pandemic continues. The pantries are expecting a prolonged demand due to corona-virus related job loss and furloughs and still need support to continue their fight against food insecurity. Donations of food via food drives are the main source of non-perishables for these food pantries.

This coming November, Aquia District Scouts BSA will be conducting “Scouting For Food,” a national food drive Scout BSA campaign. For this event held annually in November, Scouts “Do a Good Turn” to help Stafford County and Dumfries food pantries stock their shelves, not just for the holidays, but for the months beyond.

This year’s Scouting For Food may look a little different with the added emphasis on the safety of all participants. However, Aquia District Scouts BSA will continue to do their part to meet the needs of Stafford County, their efforts perpetuated by them living the Scout Oath for service to others by “Helping Other People At All times.”

Filed Under: Scouting At Home, Scouting Programs Tagged With: Aquia, Family Scouting, helpful

Pack 873 Protects the Environment & Helps Feed Local Families!

September 1, 2020 by Richard Chandler

In April, Pack 873 teamed up with the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District to educate our neighbors about water runoff and the local watershed. As part of our Conservation Good Turn project we provided educational material to hundreds of households in the Canterbury Woods, Long Branch, Red Fox Forest, Oak Hill, Willow Woods, and Stone Haven communities. So far we have labeled almost 300 sewer drains with “No Dumping” markers. In July we participated in Trash The Trash Day and in August we hosted another day of drain labeling and trash pick-up in local parks. These two events generated about 6 large trash bags of garbage from our local watershed. Additionally, we turned both of these events into food drives for local food pantries, filling two minivans with food.

Filed Under: Scouting At Home Tagged With: Cub Scouts, helpful

Star Scout Organizes “No Contact” Food Drive

April 30, 2020 by The Scouter Digest Staff

With the worldwide pandemic, social distancing and quarantining many may have taken this opportunity to stock your cupboards, pantries, fridges, freezers and bathrooms with food to last you a few weeks or months. If you were able to do this, please consider yourself lucky.  There are plenty of individuals and families out there that rely on the good nature of others to put food on their plates.  In some instances, that food is coming from local food banks. 

Unfortunately during these crazy times, food banks begin to run dangerously low on supplies. In response to this Star Scout, Landon Hummel from Troop 1378 in Dale City, VA decided to organize a “no contact” food drive.  Landon contacted the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) and obtained information on how to get the food to them safely.  He then made a flyer, sent out an email to his Troop with instructions and all the information about the drive.

Sunday March 29th, the Landon and his mother drove around the Prince William County area to collect donations. They created a route using the addresses in all of the reply emails in order to give participants a time frame for pickup. They maintained social distancing by asking participants to leave their donations outside and just wave to us from the window. With the assistance of his mom, he collected 162 pounds of food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center.

To learn more about how you can give please visit the Arlington Food Assistance Center website. Items that they are specifically asking for are: canned tuna/chicken, canned soups, canned vegetables, canned tomatoes, peanut butter (in plastic jars only), pasta and rice. 

Filed Under: Scouting At Home Tagged With: food drive, helpful, scouting at home, Scouts BSA

Troop 33 Collects Over 5,000 Items for Virtual Food Drive

April 24, 2020 by Lee Howard

Scouts BSA Troop 33 in Takoma Park, Maryland ran a virtual food drive for two weeks in mid-April, which collected over 5,000 to help the Capital Area Food Bank provide meals to vulnerable community members during the COVID-19 emergency. Like a 5K road race, the food drive had a specific challenge with a measurable goal. In this case, the 5K theme represented a race to collect 5,000 food items resulting in much-needed assistance to children, families, seniors, and other individuals who are food-insecure at this time.

Scouts are known for acts of service, many of which are enabled through in-person, group activities. The current state of emergency, with stay-at-home orders and social distancing, presents opportunities for Scouts to think about how to serve others while remaining obedient to public health policies and keeping themselves out of harm’s way. Troop 33, and a supportive community of other youth and adults, faced the conundrum head on and exceeded the 5K goal. The total 5,380 food items collected is valued at $11,243.24, and weighs nearly two tons!

The food drive happened 100% online, powered by a giving platform developed by the woman-owned business YouGiveGoods. The food items will be shipped directly from YouGiveGoods to the Capital Area Food Bank by the end of April. Troop 33 hopes its success will inspire other units to imagine how they can meet the challenges of Scouting in these unprecedented times. The troop is celebrating 100 years of service this year, and has called the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church its home for the entire time. Troop 33 is grateful to everyone who pitched in to support the food drive, and their virtuous efforts to help others in a moment of crisis.

Filed Under: Leaders, Scouting At Home Tagged With: helpful, scouting at home, troop

Giving Tuesday Now

April 21, 2020 by The Scouter Digest Staff

Since the middle of March, National Capital Area Council has placed all fundraising efforts on hold. We understand that there is not a single person that has not been affected by this pandemic and that this year will be especially challenging for many of our families, volunteers and donors impacted by COVID- 19.

As you can imagine, funding the Scouting movement in this environment is incredibly difficult, with many families and businesses facing a good deal of uncertainty right now. That said, we also know that the mission and programs of the BSA must continue, our Scouts need and deserve it. In this time of uncertainty, there’s a fundamental truth that gives us hope – that together we can do extraordinary things. Over the past few weeks and months, the entire world has been coming together to stand up, help out, give back, and heal. Whether that’s through donations to community organizations, celebrating doctors and nurses at shift changes, or reaching out to a neighbor to help with groceries, generosity has been helping the entire world get through this global pandemic. Together. 

National Capital Area Council plans to reengage in fundraising efforts of our annual campaign by participating in #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of giving and unity that will take place on May 5, 2020 as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. Currently, much is unknown about how dramatically we will be affected. However, we do know that impacts to NCAC will include:

  • Cancellation of programs or events
  •  Potential closure of summer camps and subsequent loss of camp revenue
  • Staff and volunteer absences
  • Technology and resource deficits challenging staff ability to work remotely
  • Disruption in donations from families that help to support Scouting
  • Future inability of families to afford Scouting programs and camps
  • Decline in number of families we will be able to serve

As part of #GivingTuesdayNow we ask you to help us stay on course. As a key supporter, please consider making your contribution as early as possible this year, complete payment on your pledge as soon as you can, and to be as generous as your means will allow.

Please visit www.NCACbsa.org/give to support us through Friends of Scouting during #GivingTuesdayNow, on May 5, 2020.

As we practice physical distancing, we can remain connected through acts of kindness and generosity. There is no reason that our physical separation means we can’t provide the financial, emotional and social supports that nurture our families and communities. We are committed to making the investments our Scouts and our camps need, but we can only do that with your help.

Filed Under: Scouting At Home Tagged With: Giving Tuesday, helpful, scouting at home

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