Scouting for Food returns to Charlotte for its 34th year, with countywide collections on February 7

A long-running regional food drive returns this weekend

Scouting for Food, a large-scale community food drive organized by Scouting America’s Mecklenburg County Council, is returning to neighborhoods across the Charlotte area for its 34th year. The council’s public event calendar lists Scouting for Food 2026 on Saturday, February 7, 2026.

The drive is built around a simple model: Scouts distribute door hangers in advance and later return to collect donations left outside homes. Local organizers have used this approach for decades as a winter food collection effort in Mecklenburg County, when many pantries and meal providers face sustained demand.

How the collection works for residents

Residents who receive a Scouting for Food door hanger are asked to fill a bag or box with non-perishable items and place it outside for pickup on collection day. Organizers have previously used a 9 a.m. morning pickup window as the standard for households participating in door-to-door collection.

Donations are directed to Nourish Up, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg hunger relief organization that operates a network of food pantries and also serves as the primary Meals on Wheels program in Mecklenburg County. Nourish Up’s current name dates to January 2024, following the earlier Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays identity.

What to donate: priority items requested

Organizers have emphasized shelf-stable foods that can be quickly sorted and distributed. Priority needs highlighted for recent Scouting for Food drives in Mecklenburg County include:

• canned fruit (with an emphasis on lower-sugar options or fruit packed in juice)
• canned meats
• canned pastas
• canned vegetables, including low-sodium options
• pasta and cereal, including gluten-free items

Recent results and the scale of the effort

The Mecklenburg County Council reports that, over more than three decades, Scouting for Food locally has collected more than five million pounds of food. For the most recent year reported by the council, combined food and cash contributions in 2024 were recorded as totaling 180,500 pounds.

Nourish Up has separately reported large year-to-year volumes tied to the drive, including a report that roughly 185,000 pounds were collected during one recent Scouting for Food season. The organization has also described Scouting for Food as its largest community-wide food drive of the year.

Why the drive is timed for winter

Food pantries and meal programs often cite winter as a period when household budgets are pressured by seasonal expenses and unpredictable disruptions. Nourish Up has described the people it assists as frequently experiencing short-term financial crises such as medical emergencies, job loss, reduced work hours, or major car repairs—circumstances that can quickly increase food insecurity even for households that are otherwise stable.

Residents who receive a door hanger can participate by leaving non-perishable donations outside for pickup on collection day.

Scouting for Food continues as an annual volunteer effort that combines neighborhood-level participation with centralized distribution through local hunger-relief infrastructure.