The Boy Scouts’ Scouting for Food Drive brought in 16,805 pounds of food to the White Doves Holiday Project on Nov. 11, getting the project off to a healthy start.

As part of its annual drive, hundreds of Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts swept through Martin County neighborhoods, collecting non-perishable food that residents had left out for them.

The scouts then delivered the food to the Martin County Fairgrounds, which serves as the “warehouse” of the White Doves Holiday Project. There, members of the IRCC baseball team volunteered to help unload, weigh and store the food.

“The eight tons of food the scouts collected is a huge quantity, and we are extremely thankful for their effort each year,” said project coordinator Anne Lalley. “However, the need is great, and more will be needed to supply all the families White Doves serves. We will need about 5,000 more pounds of food in the coming month to be able to fill all the needs.”

White Doves will serve more than 1,200 families – including more than 3,000 children – with toys and the staples for a holiday meal. Distribution will take place during the week of Dec. 18. Depending on amount of donations that White Doves receives, families get to choose two to four toys per child. They also receive a grocery bag full of the staples for a holiday meal as well as a turkey or ham.

Donations of food, toys, holiday decorations and money are welcome at the White Doves warehouse, Building B at the Martin County Fairgrounds, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, Nov. 27 through Dec. 19.

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

In regard to toys, White Doves is the local coordinating organization for the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots drive in Martin County. The project receives the donations of new, unwrapped toys that people drop off at the dozens of Toys for Tots collection points throughout the county. Locations are listed online; go to www.martinvolunteers.org/whitedoves and click on the Toys for Tots logo.

Anyone wishing to make a monetary donation may also send it to White Doves Holiday Project, PO Box 362, Stuart, FL 34995. Such donations help purchase the hams and turkeys given to families. The cost has risen steadily, and this year the cost exceeds $15,000.

ABOUT WHITE DOVES

The 18th annual White Doves Holiday Project serves as a central clearinghouse for donated food and toys at holiday time. The massive undertaking is a project of Martin Volunteers and pools the resources of dozens of volunteers, community groups, agencies, families, businesses and faith-based and civic organizations.

Martin Volunteers, formerly known as the Volunteer & Community Resource Center (VCRC), is a program of United Way of Martin County.

More information is available at www.martinvolunteers.org/whitedoves or by calling (772) 220-4472.

Photo above: Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and members of the IRCC baseball team helped deliver food to the White Doves Holiday Project on Nov. 11.