Goose Creek District
Scouting for Food Announcement
Revised, September 19, 2007

Scouting for Food is Scouting's Good Turn for the Community.  For those not familiar with Scouting for Food, it's a great service project that's conducted council-wide in November of every year.  The mission is for Scouts to collect food donations from homes in our neighborhoods that, in turn, will be distributed to individuals and families requiring assistance within our area at Thanksgiving and during the December holiday season.  In the Goose Creek District, Scouts collect food on behalf of the Community Holiday Coalition, LINK Inc., and Messiah's Market.  Last fall, Scouts in Loudoun County collected a council-leading 99,000 pounds of food.  This project makes a huge impact on the local social service efforts during the holiday season, and we receive plenty of positive press coverage for the Scouts' efforts.  Year after year, your units’ efforts and contributions exceed expectations.

This year the key Scouting for Food dates are:

Each participating pack, troop and crew should have an adult leader designated as their Scouting for Food Coordinator.  I've set up a number of orientation sessions for the Scouting for Food Coordinators throughout the County:

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007 Harper Park Middle School Cafeteria
701 Potomac Station Dr. NE
Leesburg, VA 20176		 7:30PM - 8:30PM
Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007 Ashburn LDS Center Primary Room
21015 Claiborne Parkway
Ashburn, VA 20147		 7:30PM - 8:30PM
Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2007 Mercer Middle School Cafeteria
42149 Greenstone Drive
Aldie, VA 20105
[off of Gum Spring Rd., 1 mile south of Rt. 50]		 7:30PM - 8:30PM
Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007 Ashburn Library, Mtg. Room A
43316 Hay Rd.
Ashburn, VA 20147		 12:00 PM - 1:00PM
Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007 Sterling Middle School Cafeteria
201 W. Holly Ave.
Sterling, VA 20164		 7:30PM - 8:30PM
Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007 Purcellville Library, Carruthers Room
220 E. Main St.
Purcellville, VA 20132		 7:30PM - 8:30PM

Note that there is a lunch-time orientation on Wednesday, October 3, at the Ashburn Library.  That was popular last year, so we'll try it again.  Click on the site name to link to an on-line map of the location. 

Each unit should send their Scouting for Food Coordinator to one of the orientations.  I'd like to get a call or e-mail from the coordinators, once they are identified.  Returning Scouting for Food Coordinators should check in with me if they plan to skip the orientations. 

To assist in district-wide communication, I maintain a web site for the Scouting for Food drive.  That web site can be found at: http://home.earthlink.net/~blshiflett/.  The site is being updated for the 2007 campaign, but coordinators can start looking at the material now. 

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 brian.shiflett@verizon.net.  

Yours in Scouting,

Brian Shiflett
Scouting for Food Coordinator, Goose Creek District
Scoutmaster, Troop 998