The local chapter of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will be collecting donated canned goods and non-perishable items Saturday for its annual “Scouting for Food” drive to benefit the Salvation Army.

Local residents are urged to leave a bag of food items beside their mailbox by 9 a.m. for the local scouts to pick up.

According to BSA District Executive Leith Wilson, the annual food drive generates roughly 2,000 pounds of food each year to be distributed by the Salvation Army in their holiday meal baskets.

“It’s very important for Salvation Army to have goods on hand when a situation arises,” Wilson said. “I think it’s really good for our scouts to see there is a need in our community.”

Wilson said that the food drive was started as a national effort during the 1980’s. Though the drive ended as a national effort, local Boy Scouts have kept it alive in Dallas County.

While most of the goods collected will be distributed directly to Dallas County, some end up with needy families throughout the area.

Six different scout troops, a combined total of approximately 60 scouts and their parents, will be make the rounds Saturday morning to collect the goods and assisting workers at the Salvation Army that afternoon to sort through all of the donations.

“We just thank the community for always supporting us,” Wilson said. “Because if they don’t put out those canned goods, we can’t come and pick them up.”