Thank you for your efforts to organize Scouting for Food within your pack or troop.  I'm sending this newsletter to all unit coordinators to highlight some of the important activities and to answer some frequently asked questions.  I also post this newsletter at: http://home.earthlink.net/~blshiflett/s4f-newsletters.htm

Yesterday afternoon, not long before Roundtable, I got a call letting me know that the Scouting for Food bags were delivered to Camp Snyder in Haymarket.  Needless to say, I didn't have them in time for Roundtable, so I apologize to anyone who showed up last night looking for theirs.  I will deliver the bags to your homes by early next week.  I do have to travel to Tennessee for a funeral in the next day or two, so my exact delivery schedule is still undetermined.  If you need your bags right away, so that you can hand them out at a pack or den meeting early next week, please inform me ASAP.  I will do my best to deliver your bags on time.  If you don't confirm your bag count, I'll deliver the same number as your pack or troop received last year.

By now, some of you have printed your bag notes.  If not, and if you need ideas, please see the "Resources" page on the Scouting for Food web site.  Bag notes are proven to make a big difference in the quantity of food donations.  The material printed on the Scouting for Food bag doesn't say anything about your pack or troop, nor does it say anything about the beneficial organizations that distribute the food we collect, and it doesn't give detail on the types of food needed.  Don't hesitate to use the bag note as a recruiting tool. If your assigned area has a significant Latino population, consider adding a description in Spanish.  I know at least one pack did that last year.  When you get a moment, please e-mail  me a copy of your bag note.  I save them to use as examples next year.  Sometimes I find nice bag notes in the piles at the collection sites, but I'd rather have a clean, unwrinkled copy.  As an alternative to bag notes, there are directions on the web site on how to make door hangers.

If you haven't read the "Tips" document that I handed out at the orientations, please view it at the Scouting for Food web site.

I encourage your pack or troop to use community signs, where available, as well as homemade signs.  Again this year, I'm ordering a quantity of coroplast yard signs for your use.  It appears that I have enough interest to order a minimum of 100 signs, and I'll be able to keep the cost at $5 or less.  The image on the right is how the sign will look (without the red border).  I've received suggestions that we should change the words "Thanks for your Support!" to something else, but I don't have any better ideas at the moment.  If you can suggest a better tag line to improve the sign, please send me your idea. I will place the sign order next Friday, October 20.  Please tell me how many signs you want to order no later than Thursday, October 19.  After I deliver the signs to your home, please send me a check, payable to "Brian Shiflett," at the following address: 18578 Merlon Ct. Leesburg, VA 20176-3912

I am also looking for packs or troops interested in ordering the patch shown on the right.  This patch is sold by the "The Patch Connection" for $1.59 per patch.  If I place a bulk order, we can get the patch for $1.34 each.  I thought we should customize the patch and replace the words "Sharing our Bounty" with "Scouting for Food," and replace "Food Drive" with "2006."  If we customize the patch, then we can buy them for $1.34 apiece for quantity 200 or more, $1.15 for 300 or more, and $0.99 for 500 or more.  I request that you send me an e-mail if you are interested, and give me a estimate of how many patches you'd like to order.

As always, if you want to discuss any aspect of Scouting for Food, please give me a call at 703-737-3325 (day/evening), 703-405-6341 (cell), or send me e-mail at blshiflett@earthlink.net.

Yours in Scouting,

Brian Shiflett
Scouting for Food Coordinator, Goose Creek District