Boy Scouts Collect Food For People in Need

Filling one plastic bag is all it takes to give back. And the Boy Scouts of America will do all of the heavy lifting. All you have to do is fill the bag with non-perishables and put it back on your door step.

The Boy Scouts of America of the Sioux Empire will make its rounds this week going door-to-door hanging bags for a good cause.

"Scouting For Food is our annual food drive that we do.  We partner with the Sioux Falls Food Bank and Feeding South Dakota. We have about 35 to 40 units that are packs or troops here in Sioux Falls that help out with that," Stacey Kracht with the Boy Scouts of America Sioux Empire said.

Some troops have already gotten started.  And for many troop leaders this is a time to teach by doing.

"It's a great opportunity, not just for the boys to talk about citizenship and responsibility, but to actually go out and put it into action. So it's really cool to get boys as young as first grade out scouting for their community," Kevin Smith Cub Master said.

While the scouts are giving back to their community and even earning badges a long the way, it's an event that's fun for all of them.

"They love doing it; it's something where they are literally running door-to-door delivering bags. It's something they can't wait to come back on Saturday morning to see what people have left out for them," Smith said.

Whether the boys are learning a new life lesson or having fun with their friends, some troop leaders say the bigger picture is helping other South Dakotans just like them.

"It's exposing them to something else and you know maybe learning that these people are giving food to help others who don't have a meal on the table everyday like you do, or maybe they know someone in their own troop or pack that has had that same experience," Kracht said.

Troops will be out all week in Sioux Falls. They plan on picking up the bags at 9 a.m. Saturday.