Scouts’ food drive tweak results in quite a haul

When it comes to collecting food donations, Saukville Scouts believe they have found a way to build a better mousetrap.

Leaving bags on people’s front doors has been a time-honored tradition, but these Scouts found that engaging people where they buy their food instead of where they take it produces a higher yield.

This year, Scouts set up a table near the entrance to the village’s Piggly Wiggly for a couple of days and handed shopping lists to customers while also accepting cash donations.

On Sunday, Scouts delivered 1,282 pounds of food and nearly $850 to Ozaukee Food Alliance in Saukville.

“It wound up being way more successful than I dreamed of,” Cub Master Jami Last said, adding she was surprised at “the amount of people who donated large bills.”

“This is successful,” Scout Master Kelly Krentz said. “Donations are above and beyond what you would get door to door.”

Part of the switch was from necessity — there are too many doors and too few Scouts to reach them all — but this new way of asking for food for the hungry is here to stay for the yearly drive.

Sunday marked the second event in six days for the Scouts. On April 23, they cooked dinner for the Landt-Thiel American Legion Post 470 and the Legion Auxiliary to thank them for a donation of $1,500 for a tent.

Dinner consisted of a Mexican casserole, peach cobbler, cake and brownies.

The Auxiliary is the charter organization for the girls’ troop, and the boys do service hours for the Legion.

The Saukville boys’ troop has about 17 members and the girls’ troop has about six. There are about 20 Cub Scouts.

Last was introduced to the organization by her son Logan several years ago.

“My son in first grade came home with a flyer and said, ‘This will make all my dreams come true,’” she said.

“I didn’t know anything about Scouts.”

Logan is now 17 and working toward becoming an Eagle Scout, hoping to