Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Food Drive Is Planned

Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Explorers of the Caddo Area Council will be hiking through local neighborhoods during November in conjunction with the 10th annual `Scouting for Food' canned food drive.

Scouts will be distributing over 30,000 recycled bags donated by the employees of International Paper November 8-14. The scouts will return on Saturday, November 15, beginning at 11:00 a.m. to collect the bags. Residents are asked to place donated canned goods in the bags and leave them in a visible area by their front door prior to 11:00 a.m.

The food drive will cover a 10-county area, including Bowie and Cass in Texas and Miller, Lafayette, Nevada, Hempstead, Howard, Sevier, Little River and Polk in Arkansas.

"The drive is part of the former nationwide `Good Turn' for all scouts in the country," Marcal Young, executive director of the council, said. "The Caddo Area Council has participated in the event for ten consecutive years and has committed to continue the local drive into the 21st Century."

Tom Duckert, manager of environmental services at International Paper, Texarkana, and a member of the council advisory board of directors, is serving as Chairman of the 1997 food drive.

"Last year, over 55,000 pounds of food was collected to help feed the hungry. We hope to reach 60,000 pounds in 1997," Duckert said. "I appreciate the efforts of the scouts, the various sponsors and the generosity of our citizens to make this even successful. Together, we can make a significant contribution to the area's hungry. There are many needy people counting on all of us."

Food collected by the scouts will go to local agency and church pantries that help provide meals to the hungry. All food stays in the community where it is collected.

For additional information contact the council service center at (903) 793-2179.