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

On Nov. 3, hundreds of Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts will fan out through area neighborhoods, leaving a doorknob hanger that asks residents to donate non-perishable food. 

On Nov. 10, the Scouts will return to collect the food. Residents should put their food items out by their mailbox or front door or other designated area, such as a clubhouse or community gate.

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

“We couldn’t do it without the Boy Scouts,” said Anne Lalley, project coordinator for Martin Volunteers, the United Way program that organizes the White Doves Holiday Project. “Their food drive helps us supply about 1,300 families with the staples for a holiday meal.”

Last year, the Scouting for Food Drive collected more than 16,000 pounds of food in Martin County that was distributed through the White Doves Holiday Project.

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

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

To increase the amount of food collected this year, the Scouts want to get more churches, communities 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.