Collection Site Locations and Hours

About – Scouting for Food in Loudoun County
Beginning November 7, 2009, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and leaders of the National Capital Area Council will take to the neighborhoods of Loudoun County in support of Scouting for Food. The mission of the service project is for Scouts to collect food items that will be given to families requiring assistance within their local communities. This year, the Scouts will deliver empty grocery bags to neighborhood homes on Saturday, November 7, and collect food on Saturday, November 14. In Loudoun County, Scouts collect food on behalf of Loudoun Interfaith Relief, the Community Holiday Coalition, LINK, Inc., Seven Loaves, and Messiah's Market. Over the past several food drives, the Scouts have realized a substantial increase in collections in Loudoun County - from 29,000 pounds in 2001, to over 108,000 pounds in 2008.

Started in 1988, the Scouting for Food project is Scouting’s “Good Turn” to the community. "The Boy Scouts are responding to the ever increasing demand for basic needs assistance in Loudoun County," says Brian Shiflett, Scouting for Food Coordinator in Loudoun County. "Collecting a large stock of non-perishable food goes a long way to meeting the emergency food requirements of our local agencies, not only during the holiday season, but well into next year. To fill this growing demand, the Scouts will attempt to canvass nearly 70,000 homes this year." To make the food drive a success, Scouts not only go door-to-door collecting food. "The Boy Scouts understand that their job is not over when they finish collecting the food. Many Scouts log additional community service hours working in the collection sites, unloading vehicles and bags, and sorting the food donations," adds Shiflett. At both the Holiday Coalition and LINK, the donated food is repackaged within a week for distribution to their clients - no small task considering the large volume of food collected.

About Loudoun Interfaith Relief
Established in 1991, LIR is the largest and only nutritious food pantry in Loudoun County. We serve our clients by providing the food necessary to prepare three balanced meals a day for three days for any size family. In 2007, LIR served a record 40,000 individuals that is over 10,000 families!
Food distributed was used to prepare over 360,000 healthy, well-balanced meals.
Through the food sharing program with other organizations, Loudoun Interfaith Relief provided about 15,000 pounds of food, indirectly serving an estimated additional 10,000 individuals!

About the Community Holiday Coalition
Now in its thirteenth year, the Community Holiday Coalition's "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" program assists 1,200 to 1,400 families each Thanksgiving and Christmas season. The families receive holiday food baskets, personal care baskets, new clothing, toys, filled stockings and more. Nearly 1,000 volunteers and donors provide the manpower and resources to make the program a success. The Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops deliver food to the Community Holiday Coalition at their Sterling location.

About LINK, Inc.
LINK is an all-volunteer organization comprised of 16 churches in the Herndon and Eastern Loudoun community. LINK's primary mission is a year-round effort to provide emergency food distributions for people in need within the area. In addition, LINK offers a holiday food basket program and this year expects to serve nearly 475 families providing a holiday meal and a full week of food at Thanksgiving and at Christmas.
On November 8, LINK will receive food donations collected by Scouts from the Sterling area at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Sterling as well as from Herndon Scouts at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Herndon. The following Saturday, November 15th, Thanksgiving baskets will be distributed at these two sites. LINK is also collecting gently used, usable coats for distribution on November 17th at Sterling United Methodist Church. Volunteers can call 703-437-1776 to help with food sorting and/or food or coat distribution.
The Scouting for Food program is critical to enable LINK to provide the holiday basket program. Last year Scouts collected over 14 tons of food in Eastern Loudoun county and Herndon for the LINK basket program. This food went immediately to those who needed help the most in the area.

About Messiah's Market
Messiah's Market is food distribution ministry of The Community Church located on Ashburn Road near Route 7 in Ashburn. The market is open three evenings per week and serves families year round. The Boy Scouts in Loudoun County began collecting food on behalf of Messiah's Market in 2004. The media may contact Messiah's Market through the church secretary at 571-209-5000. See also: www.thecommunitychurch.org/

About the National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America
The National Capital Area Council, B.S.A., is one of the more than 300 local councils chartered by the National Council, Boy Scouts of America. It is one of the largest councils in the nation and is geographically comprised of ten counties in Northern Virginia, six counties in Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Virginia counties include: Arlington, Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fairfax, King George, Loudoun, Prince William, Stafford, and Spotsylvania. Maryland counties include: Charles, Calvert, Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George's, and Saint Mary's. See also: www.boyscouts-ncac.org

National Capital Area Council services figures as of 12/31/06: 1,691 units and groups chartered to local organizations, staffed by 23,123 volunteers who are delivering the promise to 48,961 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts and Venturers, and another 35,563 youth participated in the Learning for Life program. This is all supported through a volunteer Executive Board of over 100 top community leaders and a full-time staff of approximately 65 employees. in 2006, 1,144 Scouts achieved the rank of Eagle Scout within the Council.
In Loudoun County, Scouting serves approximately 3,400 youth through 90 units chartered to local organizations and led by over 1,200 volunteers. The National Capital Area Council thanks Safeway for providing the bags used in the Scouting for Food drive.