Saturday, February 1, the Mecklenburg County Council of the Boy Scouts of America is once again Scouting for Food. Scouts go door-to-door throughout Mecklenburg Co. collecting non-perishable food items for Nourish Up, formerly Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays. The 114,373 pounds of food collected in last year’s Scouting for Food Drive helped Nourish Up feed 164,806 neighbors in need in 2024. A 19% increase over the previous year.
The week prior to Feb. 1, Mecklenburg Co. Scouts distribute Scouting for Food Door Hangers, generously provided by Harris Teeter, in neighborhoods throughout the county. If you receive a door hanger, simply fill a bag or box with non-perishable food items and leave outside your home by 9 a.m. for pick-up by the Scouts on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Priority needs include canned fruit (in fruit juice), canned meats, canned pastas, and canned vegetables. We are especially in need of low sodium, low fat and low sugar items. No glass or expired items please!
If a scout does not leave a door hanger on your door, you can still give! You can drop off food donations at any of the locations listed below on Saturday, Feb. 1, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. or Sunday, Feb. 2, 12:30-2:30 p.m. at certain locations (indicated below), OR Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Nourish Up Hunger Hub located at 901 Carrier Drive.
If you prefer to make a financial donation directly to Nourish Up in support of Scouting for Food, simply text 44321 on your mobile device and enter the code: Scout4Food. Each dollar donated represents 4 pounds of food!
Scouts will be on hand to collect donations at these locations Feb. 1:
- Ada Jenkins Center - 212 Gamble St., Davidson (Saturday, Feb. 1 only drop-off site)
- Arboretum Shopping Center – Providence Rd. and Highway 51 (across from the Harris Teeter), Charlotte
- Back Creek ARP – 1821 Back Creek Church Rd, Charlotte, NC 28213 (Saturday, Feb. 1 only drop-off site)
- Good Shepherd Church – 13110 Moss Rd. Charlotte (Saturday, Feb. 1 only drop-off site)
- Huntersville United Methodist Church – 14005 Stumptown Rd., Huntersville
- Philadelphia Presbyterian Church – 11501 Bain School Rd., Mint Hill (Saturday, Feb. 1 only drop-off site)
- Sardis Presbyterian Church, 6100 Sardis Road, Charlotte (Saturday, Feb. 1 only drop-off site)
- Sharon Presbyterian Church – 5201 Sharon Rd., Charlotte
- South Mecklenburg Presbyterian - 8601 Bryant Farms Rd, Charlotte (Saturday, Feb. 4 only drop-off site)
Scouting for Food is the largest community-wide food drive of the year for Nourish Up. This past year, Nourish Up provided groceries, meals, and hope to more than 164,000 people in Mecklenburg Co., a 19% increase over 2023. Half were children and seniors.
Scouting for Food is sponsored by Mecklenburg County Council of The Boy Scouts of America, WCNC Charlotte, Harris Teeter and Stegall Trucking.
Nourish Up celebrated its first birthday with the new name Nourish Up in January 2024. Formerly Loaves & Fishes and Friendship Trays (which merged in 2021), the organization has been feeding our neighbors in need for more than half a century. We provide nutritious groceries through a network of more than 40 food pantries in Charlotte Mecklenburg, via home meal delivery, and as the primary Meals on Wheels program in Mecklenburg Co. This year we honor an important milestone as it is our 50th Anniversary of lifting our community through food. For more information, visit www.nourishup.org
Scouting for Food is the official “Good Turn for America” for the Mecklenburg County Council, Boy Scouts of America. For more information about Mecklenburg County Council visit www.mccscouting.org
