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Scouting for Food 2025: Here’s What You Should Know
If you could support a community event that would feed 1,000 people per month, would you do it?
This is why Nutley Family Service Bureau (NFSB) and local Scouts are excited to host the annual Scouting for Food Town Wide Food Drive on Saturday, April 26, from 9:30 to 5 at 169 Chestnut Street. Tens of thousands of food items collected will eventually make their way into the hands of those in our community who could use the support.
Scouts of all ages will be hanging collection bags on virtually every front door in the two weeks leading up to collection. Residents are asked to fill them with shelf-stable, unexpired items and grocery store gift cards and place them outside on Saturday, April 26. Scouts will then collect the bags and bring them to NFSB. Rain date is Sunday, April 27.
Scouts will also be collecting donations at ShopRite of Nutley, owned and operated by the LoCurcio family, who have been actively involved with NFSB and have generously supported the organization for decades. ShopRite of Nutley donated 9,000 reusable bags to collect food as well.
“ShopRite is always very supportive of this event,” said Joan Roake, Food Pantry Manager at NFSB. “They donate bags and ads, they lend us shopping carts and boxes, and they allow Scouts to collect food outside their store all weekend. The Scouts usually bring about six carloads of food from ShopRite every year.”
Scouting for Food by the Numbers
Did you know the first Scouting for Food drive was held in 2006? Records were first kept in 2007, when 3,405 food items were donated by Nutley residents. By 2013, that number more than tripled to 10,653 items. By 2019, that number more than tripled again to 34,065 items!
The past two food drives brought more than 80,000 food items to the Food Pantry. With your support, we hope to keep the momentum going in 2025!
“The Scouts work so hard for this food drive,” Joan said. “They visit the doorstep of just about every home in Nutley to deliver bags, collect full bags, and bring them to the Food Pantry. The food donated by local residents and collected by the Scouts stocks our non-perishable shelves for most of the year.”
While the Scouting for Food Town Wide Food Drive is a fun, inspiring community event, it is also critical to feeding local families and individuals. In February of this year, the NFSB Food Pantry served more than 300 households and nearly 700 people, from young children to seniors. More than 1,900 bags of food were distributed.
Gift cards donated during the food drive will be used to purchase fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, eggs, and more to provide Food Pantry clients with healthier choices that meet their dietary requirements.
A Call for Volunteers
As with every NFSB community event, volunteers are essential to the success of Scouting for Food. We’re looking for volunteers to help sort, date, and store all food donations. Three shifts are available, and snacks will be provided for all volunteers!
Businesses, local organizations, student clubs, faith-based groups, families, and individuals are encouraged to volunteer. Keep in mind that youth volunteer hours will be considered when NFSB scholarships are awarded to Nutley High School students!
“We don’t have as many volunteers signed up as we’ve had at this time in years past,” Joan said. “We’re confident that we’ll end up having the help we need, but we’d feel better if more people would get in touch to volunteer!”
Sign up to volunteer at the Scouting for Food Town Wide Food Drive today!
If you can’t commit in advance, come to the food drive on April 26, fill out a form, and lend a hand. If you can’t make it that day, more volunteer shifts will be available in the days and weeks following the food drive. All help is welcome and appreciated!
Join Us for an Annual Nutley Tradition
“The Scouting for Food Drive has become like a ritual, a rite of spring,” Joan said. “It’s awe-inspiring to see the generosity of our community. Scouts run all over town to collect donated food, cars and trucks form long lines to drop off food, and dozens of volunteers give their time and energy to help us organize the donations. It’s something you have to see in person to truly understand the level of participation.”
Please consider donating or volunteering for the annual Scouting for Food Town Wide Food Drive on Saturday, April 26, from 9:30 to 5 at 169 Chestnut Street.
If you or someone you know would benefit from our Food Pantry services, participation is confidential and qualification is on a case-by-case basis. Please call 973-667-1884 or visit the Food Pantry page of the NFSB website for more information.
