The local Scout Troop 347, Cub Scout Pack 316, and Venture Crew 305 put out bags for the national Scout movement, Scouting for Food, on Nov. 9.

Basically, Scouting for Food started as an Eagle Scout Project in Saint Louis where an Eagle Scout gathered food for his local food pantry. Eventually, it became a district event. Then it became a councilwide event. Then, eventually, Scouting for Food became a national phenomenon. On November the 16th, Scouting for Food bags were picked up, as well as other bags people had filled, and even boxes overflowing with items for the local food pantry in Chester. Chester Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Venture Crew collected 3,600 total items from Chester, Bremen, and Ellis Grove. Within the Kaskaskia district, which is all of Randolph County, Monroe County, and part of St. Clair County, 70,000 items were collected. The Greater Saint Louis Area Council (GSLAC), which covers Southeast Missouri, most of Southern Illinois, and quite a ways east almost into Indiana, collected a whopping 1.9 million items total.