The annual Scouting for Food drive Saturday gathered 55,500 pounds of food for area families served by Helping Harvest Food Bank, the organization announced.

Scouting America’s food drive, one of the largest in the country, is intended to aid those experiencing food insecurity. Helping Harvest serves those in need in Berks and Schuylkill counties.

Scouts left information about the effort at homes across the area before the drive and returned Saturday to pick up nonperishable food put out by families who were looking to help.

The food was received and sorted by Helping Harvest volunteers and staff, and it will be stored at the organization’s warehouse in Spring Township, awaiting distribution by Helping Harvest’s network of partners.

“We are heading into the holiday season where so many family celebrations are typically centered around food,” Helping Harvest President Jay Worrall said in the organization’s announcement of the drive’s results. “Now, with the unclear future of programs that support families in need due to the government shutdown, we know that more neighbors than ever are, and will be, turning to us and the charitable food system for help.

“While we always appreciate the donations that come to us via food drives, this year’s Scouting for Food drive carries extra weight due to the challenges being faced by so many of our neighbors.”

Helping Harvest, the leading provider of food to families in Berks, has provided services to the county for 42 years. According to the organization, it supplied $15.2 million worth of nutritious food, amounting to 7.8 million pounds, to local charitable food programs. The Senior Food Box Program distributed almost 584,000 pounds of food to lower-income seniors at 63 sites in Berks. The Weekender Program, which provides easy-to-prepare meals and snacks for students to eat over the weekend, distributed over 83,000 bags at 60 Berks sites.

Food donations from the Scouting for Food drive are gathered and sorted at Helping Harvest's warehouse in Spring Township. (Courtesy of Helping Harvest)Food donations from the Scouting for Food drive are gathered and sorted at Helping Harvest’s warehouse in Spring Township. (Courtesy of Helping Harvest)

 

Food donations from the Scouting for Food drive are gathered and sorted at Helping Harvest's warehouse in Spring Township. (Courtesy of Helping Harvest)Food donations from the Scouting for Food drive are gathered and sorted at Helping Harvest’s warehouse in Spring Township. (Courtesy of Helping Harvest)
Food donations from the Scouting for Food drive are gathered and sorted at Helping Harvest's warehouse in Spring Township. (Courtesy of Helping Harvest)Food donations from the Scouting for Food drive are gathered and sorted at Helping Harvest’s warehouse in Spring Township. (Courtesy of Helping Harvest)