SWEETWATER COUNTY — Local Boy Scout troops recently collected more than 7,600 pounds of food for the Food Bank of Sweetwater County.
The recent Scouting For Food event in Rock Springs collected 5,909 pounds of food and $220, while Green River collected 1,738 pounds of food and $1,178, Scout Leader Vera Trefethen said.
Scouts in Rock Springs delivered bags on November 12 and then returned November 19 to collect the donations that were placed outside of residents’ doors. Trefethen said 160 people, including 88 Scouts, helped deliver and pick up the donations.
Green River Scouts collected food and monetary donations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Seven troops and five packs participated in the program between the two cities.
Trefethen said that the amount of food collected by the Scouts this year was roughly the same as last year.
“I was most impressed with the dedication of the leaders and Scouts,” Trefethen said. “One leader told me her pack spent 4 1/2 hours delivering bags. That was with Cub Scouts ages 5 to 10. And it was bitter cold that day.”
Residents were also encouraged to leave donations at the Sweetwater County libraries for collection.
Statistics show that the food bank has seen a 36 percent increase in emergency visits this fiscal year. Emergency visits totaled 2,990 this year compared to 2,188 visits last year.
