Scouts partner with Bay Area food banks for annual holiday collection drive

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KGO) -- It was a day of giving across the Bay Area this weekend.

Scouts teamed up with local food banks for the annual Scouting For Food collection drive to help families this holiday season, where the need is greater than ever.

A steady stream of food donations was rolling in outside the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank warehouse in San Rafael Saturday. Local scouts were doing the heavy lifting and collecting.

"It's always moving to see. Every year I've done this it means a little more, especially around the holiday season. You see the amount of food we have today, and it's just, like, wow! Think about all the people that's going to help," said Marin Scout Georgia Stahl-Ricco.

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With less than two weeks before Thanksgiving, the "Scouting For Food" annual collection drive is more important than ever this holiday season, with one in five Californians at risk of food insecurity.

"The need is a little bit greater post-pandemic. It's a critical time of year for donations going into the holidays. Everyone is in need of additional support," said Randy Rollmann from San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.

Rollman says the SF-Marin Food Bank is serving more than 50,000 households across San Francisco and Marin weekly.

Last week, scouts left door hangers on homes asking for non-perishable food items. Those donations were picked up on Saturday.

"It's a great chance for them to learn a bit more about how people have food insecurity, even despite our affluent community," said MJ Andrews from Marin Council Scouting America.

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Last year, the scouts collected more than 28,000 pounds of food. The effort was happening across Bay Area and Sonoma County.

Local Girl Scouts and 200 volunteers were helping at the Redwood Empire Food Bank in Santa Rosa, collecting and sorting food donations on this day of giving. The food bank there also says the need for food assistance is increasing.

"Despite the scale of our operation, the demand for our services continues to grow at a rate outpacing donations coming to support us," said Rachelle Mesheau from Redwood Empire Food Bank.

Scouts and a generous community are doing what they can to lend a hand this holiday.