skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Scouts on the Job Fighting Hunger in Utah

play audio
Play

Tuesday, March 13, 2018   

SALT LAKE CITY – Shelves in food banks across Utah are getting pretty thin after the holiday rush, and the Boy Scouts of America are on the job.

This week marks the 32nd annual Scouting for Food campaign, where some 180,000 scouts, troop leaders and parents will be going door-to-door across the state to collect canned goods and other non-perishable items.

Ginette Bott, chief development officer for the Utah Food Bank, says many donations come directly from home pantries, which gives local food banks a lot of variety.

"But it also gives other families what your family enjoys," she says. "Mac-and-cheese, believe it or not, is the number one item that kids request at pantries. So, anything that your child would enjoy, another child would as well."

Bott says parents should also consider taking their kids to the grocery store and letting them do the shopping, picking out items that they would want for a family that's struggling. Utah residents are encouraged to fill any bag or box with food items and leave it on the doorstep by 9 A.M. this Saturday, March 17, when scouts will pick up donations.

Since 1997 alone, the campaign has collected the equivalent of more than 18 million meals, and the scouts are hoping to hit the 20 million mark this year. She says that goal could be reached if every Utah household contributed two cans of food.

Bott notes that over 390,000 people in Utah are at risk of missing a meal, and one in six of them are children.

"We don't know by looking at an individual or a family what their circumstances truly are," she adds. "And the thing that's really sad is the kids in these families. The families are trying to do the best they can; if they lose a job or lose those dollars, the kids are hungry as well."

Most-needed food items include beef stew, chili, peanut butter, boxed meals, and canned fruits and vegetables. The donations will be delivered to the Utah Food Bank, regional food banks, and emergency food pantries statewide.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021