Be prepared to help in November as Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts once again will be “Scouting for Food” to help families in need at the holidays.

On Nov. 4, hundreds of Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts will fan out through area neighborhoods, leaving a door-knob hanger that asks residents to donate non-perishable food.

On Nov. 11, the Scouts will return to collect the food. Residents should put the food items out by their mailbox or front door or other designated area, such as a clubhouse or front gate.

In Martin County, the Scouts will pick up the food and take it to the Martin County Fairgrounds, which serves as the “warehouse” of the White Doves Holiday Project.

Suggestions for nonperishable food items include canned vegetables and fruit, soup, rice, beans, pasta, peanut butter and canned meat.

Last year, the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in Martin County collected more than 17,000 pounds of food. That food was distributed through the White Doves Holiday Project, which is organized by the United Way Volunteer & Community Resource Center. The project served about 1,300 families last year – including more than 3,000 children – with toys and a holiday meal.

“White Doves is truly a great group,” Mike Baldwin, the district chairman for Scouting for Food. “They raise food and toys to help people that really need some happiness.”

To increase the amount of food collected this year, the scouts want to get more churches and schools to conduct food drives. If your group would like to get involved in a Scouting for Food Drive, please call Mike Baldwin (561) 747-4227.

For more information about White Doves, contact (772) 220-4472 or visit www.martinvolunteers.org/whitedoves.