Bob Barber shares local Scouting for Food history

Much like career public school teachers who find themselves educating family lines into second and third generations, Weiser’s Bob Barber has been a Boy Scout leader here in Weiser for over 40 years.

 With the conclusion of the local 2024 Scouting for Food drive on Saturday, Nov. 9, Barber sat down with the Signal American late last week to reminisce over the program’s evolution here.

 He reported the 2024 drive resulted in 2,208.83 pounds of food added to WICAP’s and other local food pantries.

 “This is the 39th year the BSA has been involved with the Scouting for Food program, nationwide,” Barber said. “I honestly can’t remember when we started here, but it could be 39 years, as well.”

 Up until three or four years ago, Weiser had four Boy Scout troops, three sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and one, Troop 350, by Weiser’s Lions Club, Barber said.

 “We would divide the town up into fourths, and the first Saturday of every November each troop would distribute flyers and/or bags to households,” he said. “The second Saturday, we would go collect the food items from households throughout the four areas.”

 Barber said in the early years of the program the food items were delivered to a location in the Fruitland area, and then moved on to Boise, where they were weighed and photos taken of the entire collection.

 “Besides southwest Idaho, our Boy Scout Council is also in eastern Oregon,” Barber interjected. “The food was distributed out of Boise to who they considered ‘needy.’”

 Somewhere in those early years, Barber questioned why the local collections had to be sent out of the immediate area.

 “One year, I told them we were going to do it differently, and all of the food we collected would be taken to WICAP here in Weiser,” he said. “They would weigh it and check through the donations to make sure expired items were removed. 

 “In fact, Marc Sutton at IGA helped go through the food and if something shouldn’t have been given to someone, IGA would replace it,” Barber said. “IGA also added canned foods from their stocks.”

 Those years still in the 1980s, Barber recollected going through the collected food in the back shop of Syme Electric, and at least one year in the basement of The Merc, managed by Rick Larsen at the time.

 “Marc and Rick were really good friends,” Barber said. 

 Barber remembers a portion of the donations staying at WICAP, some going to the Catholic Church food pantry, and some to the Elks for their holiday food baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 “I wish I could remember some of the other outlets, but, it got to the point people would call me asking ‘why not me?’” he said. “That’s when I worked it out with WICAP to receive all of it and they disbursed it. And, they’ve done a very good job of it. Keeping it all local.

 “Saturday, Nov. 2, we put out the flyers, and we met at the Scout House and picked up the food in our designated areas,” Barber said. “We feel very good about it. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints no longer sponsors Scout troops, but they have continued to support Scouting for Food through their youth service programs.”