ST. LOUIS – Greater Area Saint Louis Council Scouting says for the third year in a row more than 1.5 million food items were collected during their annual Scouting For Food drive.

All the food items were donated to local area food banks, including St. Louis Area Foodbank and Operation Food Search. Over 27,000 scouts were involved during this year’s event. Multiple firehouses, churches, food pantries, and community buildings were involved in collecting and preparing the food for distribution.

In the past 39 years of the nation’s largest single-day canned food drive, Scouts have collected more than 57 million food items for 63 counties across Missouri and Illinois. 

“We are thrilled to see the community response every year to help those less fortunate, and to see over a million food items donated again this year is incredible,” said Scout Executive and CEO Joe Sadewasser. “The result is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our Scouts, volunteers, and community organizers as well as the commitment of citizens to this great effort. We are grateful for their contributions and the support of the community.”

If you were unable to donate during the even in November, Scouts recommend donating directly to a local foodbank during the holiday season.