Food insecurity and hunger in America remain persistent challenges. While many Americans assume hunger is primarily a problem in developing countries, millions of families across the wealthiest nation in the world struggle to consistently access enough nutritious food.

What Is Food Insecurity?

Food security means that all members of a household have consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food insecurity, by contrast, occurs when households face uncertain or limited access to adequate food due to financial or other constraints.

This scarcity can range in severity. Some households experience anxiety about whether they will have enough food, while others may actually need to skip meals, reduce portion sizes, or rely on emergency food programs.

A few key facts illustrate the scope of food insecurity in America:

• The USDA reports that about 13.7% of US households experienced food insecurity in 2024.
• Hunger statistics in America indicate that households in both rural and urban areas are affected. Inadequate access to nutritious food can impact working families, seniors, and children alike.
• Economic disruptions, rising food prices, and reductions in assistance programs can push more households into food insecurity, even when the broader economy appears stable.

Food insecurity isn’t just about hunger, but also causes broader health and economic challenges. Limited access to nutritious food can increase the risk of chronic health conditions, disrupt child development, contribute to low academic performance or attainment, and generally place significant stress on families.

What About Pet Hunger?

Pet hunger is an often-overlooked dimension of food insecurity in the United States. When families struggle to afford groceries, they may also have difficulty providing food and basic care for their pets. Like human food insecurity, pet hunger is closely tied to broader economic pressures such as rising housing costs, inflation, and limited access to community resources. In fact, approximately 20 million pets in the US live in poverty alongside their families, facing barriers to essential needs such as food, veterinary care, and other supplies. 

Because companion animals are part of the household for many Americans, financial strain can force painful choices between feeding family members and feeding beloved pets. For this reason, many hunger relief organizations now recognize that helping families stay food secure sometimes also means helping them care for their animals. 

Because hunger can affect communities in every state, local food banks, pantries, and community organizations play an essential role in helping households access the food they need. Volunteer-driven initiatives and community food drives are a key part of this support network. One of the most well-known youth-led efforts to address hunger is Scouting America’s annual Scouting for Food campaign.

What Is Scouting for Food?

Scouting America’s Scouting for Food campaign is one of the largest community food drives in the United States. Each year, Scouts across the country collect food donations for local food banks and pantries, helping ensure families in their communities have access to essential groceries.

The campaign operates at the local level through individual councils. Scouts distribute door hangers or flyers to homes in their neighborhoods, asking residents to donate nonperishable food items. On a designated collection day, Scouts return to gather the donations and deliver them to local hunger relief organizations.

Typical steps in Scouting for Food campaigns include:

• Community outreach: Scouts notify neighborhoods about the upcoming food drive and provide instructions for participating.
• Food collection: Residents leave donated items outside their homes for pickup.
• Sorting and delivery: Scouts gather, sort, and transport the food to local food banks or pantries.

This approach allows Scouts to engage directly with their communities while supporting organizations that provide emergency food assistance.

How Scouting for Food Supports Local Hunger Relief and the Planet

As charities fighting hunger, food banks and food pantries rely heavily on donated groceries to maintain their operations. Donated products from community drives, retailers, farmers, and individuals make up a significant portion of the supplies distributed to families in need. Community food drives also help food banks diversify their inventory and maintain adequate supplies during periods of increased demand.

In addition, initiatives that provide pet food to food banks help ensure that families do not have to surrender pets simply because they cannot afford to feed them, strengthening both human and animal well-being in vulnerable households.

Besides helping feed families and pets, food donation programs reduce food waste and benefit the environment. Research highlighted by Harvard University notes that redirecting surplus food to people in need helps keep edible food out of landfills, where decomposing food contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

Scouting for Food exemplifies the power of community collaboration. Residents, volunteers, and nonprofit organizations work together to ensure that donated food quickly reaches families who need it most. In many communities, the campaign has become an annual tradition that strengthens local support networks while addressing one of the most basic human needs.

Why Service Projects Like Scouting for Food Matter for Youth Development

While the Scouting for Food campaign provides essential support for families experiencing food insecurity, it also plays an important role in youth development.

Service projects are a core component of the Scouting experience because they help Scouts grow into responsible citizens who actively contribute to their communities. Programs within Scouts BSA emphasize activities that help young people build leadership, teamwork, and civic responsibility while learning practical life skills.

Participating in a service project like Scouting for Food allows Scouts to develop:

• Community needs awareness: Scouts gain firsthand understanding of local inequities such as hunger and poverty. This helps them to develop empathy and avoid taking their own resources and luxuries for granted.
• Responsibility and initiative: Scouts take ownership of tasks that directly benefit others.
• Leadership and collaboration skills: Planning and coordinating food collection efforts require organization and teamwork.

The Scouting for Food campaign offers a powerful example of this philosophy in action. Scouts see how their efforts translate into real-world impact as donated food reaches families and pets in need. For parents, these service opportunities are one of many reasons Scouting programs remain valuable youth development experiences. 

When families support their children’s participation in Scouting and in programs like Scouting for Food, they are helping cultivate a new generation of service-minded leaders who understand the importance of caring for others and strengthening their communities.

Fight Hunger in Your Community. Join the Scouting for Food Campaign

If you live in the western parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, or West Virginia, enrolling your child in a Scouting program with the Scouting America Laurel Highlands Council is your opportunity to help us empower the youth in our region to thrive and become the leaders of tomorrow.

Our 2026 Scouting for Food Campaign officially kicks off on April 1st, and we’re counting on YOU to help make an impact. We invite every pack, troop, crew, and ship to join us in gathering non-perishable food donations throughout the month of April. Let’s continue to show our communities what Scouting is all about: leadership, service, and making a difference. Sign up today!

Scouting’s programs and outdoor adventures give young people the opportunity to try new things, serve others, build self-confidence, and develop leadership skills. The Laurel Highlands Council serves youth members and volunteer adult leaders throughout western Pennsylvania, western Maryland, and parts of West Virginia. We aim to involve every eligible child and their family in the fun and adventure of our programs. We provide extraordinary youth development programs that teach and strengthen the values of the Scout Oath and Law. 

Contact us to learn about our Scouts BSA programs for your tween or teen, and join now!