Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts will be visiting neighborhoods in Bellevue on Saturday, March 13 and 20, in one of the largest food collection campaigns ever mounted by troops in the Puget Sound area.

The campaign, Scouting for Food, commences March 13 when Scouts canvas neighborhoods with door-hangers listing most needed food items for local food banks. The Scouts return the following Saturday, March 20 to pick up donations and deliver them to food banks. Food collected in Bellevue will go to Hopelink.

Washington state’s unemployment rate rose to 9.3 percent in January and food bank personnel report more people coming through their doors.

Food Banks especially need the following items: dry-boxed dinners; canned fruit and protein items

such as tuna, chicken, beef stew and peanut butter; prepared cereal; diapers, baby formula, shampoo

and personal hygiene items. Perishables are hard to transport, so well packaged dry goods are best.