This Saturday, Scouts throughout Kootenai County will collect donated non-perishable food items to help feed vulnerable people in their communities. Many Scout units will participate in “Walk ’n Knock,” a door to door collection effort within their neighborhoods.

Simply leave a bag with donated food on your front porch early Saturday morning.

One in eight people in the Inland Northwest struggles with hunger. That includes one in five children who face chronic food shortages at home. This year’s “Scouting for Food” effort will help stock the shelves of Second Harvest’s network of partner food banks throughout the Inland Northwest.

“This is one of the most important service projects done by Scouts over the whole year, as it helps bring food to many families in need,” said Scout Carsten Blegen, Senior Patrol Leader for Troop 400. “Service to others is one of the things that sets Scouting apart, and our troop puts the highest importance on the food drive event.”

“Second Harvest counts on the Boy Scouts annual food drive to provide a good variety of shelf stable foods to augment the fresh produce and perishable milk and meat products distributed to families in need,” said Julie Humphreys, Second Harvest/Community Relations.

This will be the 17th year that the Inland Northwest Council Boy Scouts have partnered with Second Harvest for this food drive.

Bags were distributed last weekend, and Scouts will be returning to those neighborhoods and more Saturday, Nov. 11. Please avoid donating glass items. Please consider donating nutritious foods including high-protein items like canned tuna, chicken, and ham, beef stews and hearty soups, whole grain pastas and cereals, canned fruits and vegetables, and dried fruits.

If Scouts don’t pick up your donation Saturday, please take the food to a food bank near you.

The Inland Northwest Council serves more than 8,000 youth and their families across 17 counties in the Idaho Panhandle and eastern Washington. Scouts learn citizenship, character and fitness through a volunteer-run program full of adventure and service.

Scouting for Food is a council-wide service project; Scouts participate in service projects throughout the year, and serve the community in projects ranging from litter pick-ups at a local school to ambitious projects led by Eagle Scout candidates.

For more information about the Inland Northwest Council Boy Scouts of America, visit www.nwscouts.org.