The food pantry continues to serve around 100 individuals each week, making the upcoming Scouting for Food drive important to keep up with demand.
The Boy Scouts, alongside other organizations, will collect food April 5 for the 38th year. The annual Scouting for Food event works in conjunction with the Girls Scouts, 4-H, high school students, the Methodist church and more.
When school is out, the number of people needing help from the pantry tends to go up, so getting ahead of it is helpful, said food pantry coordinator Marsha Gordon.
“Eudora is just such a generous town, and new people pop up and want to contribute,” Gordon said.
A flyer about the event will be left at each door in town this Saturday. The following Saturday, April 5, organizers will pick up bags of nonperishable food items from porches. Canned items like fruits and vegetables, as well as boxed meals like macaroni and cheese, are acceptable donations.
Gordon said items like peanut butter, tuna and cereal are good for donations, along with other items with protein.
Scoutmaster Jim Lord said in the past they had collected around 3,000 items. For the Scouts, this event is something that aligns with their goal to help the community, he said.
“Our Scouts take ownership of the project and are excited to distribute the flyers and then they always have a contest to see who can collect the most in different areas in their cars,” Lord said
It continues to be an important part of the Scouts, and it plays a major role in filling the pantry.
“I know it’s very important to the community because I believe they’ve been running low lately on food supplies at the pantry so every bit helps and we’re happy to provide service,” he said.
John Scott has been behind the operation in some capacity since the event started in 1988. Scott was district Scout coordinator from 2005 to 2017.
In 2024, 3,138 food items were donated on behalf of the event, Scott said.
The event came after a call nationally for troops to participate in a food drive event. Over the years, more and more organizations joined in as Eudora grew.
The event also happens in Lawrence and Baldwin City on the same day.
Sixth grader Dillon Bates and eighth grader Chloe Bates have participated in Scouting for Food through 4-H, and are excited to do it again this year.
They agreed the food drive is a good way to help the community. The food benefits the community and provides people a way to donate without even having to leave their homes, they said.
Chloe said it’s one of the main things 4-H can do to help the community, and something she looks forward to every year.
“We’ve been doing it for like three years or so now because it’s just like a really nice way to help our community, and we really enjoy doing it just for the fun of it and being able to help out,” she said.
