The 2009 Scouting for Food project was a success in Austin this year.

“We collected 5,001 pounds,” Keven Maxa said. “This is well above the 2008 total of 1,600 pounds.”

“That’s awesome,” said Lori Blanton, case worker for the Salvation Army Austin Corps. “This means our overstock room will be filled, and we should be ready to meet the demand for emergency food this summer.”

The 2009 Scouting For Food drive was held Saturday.

Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, plus adult volunteers, were involved.

Like previous food drives, the Southern Trails District project invited Austin residents to place non-perishable food items in bags on their front porches for pickup Saturday.

The food was collected and transported to the Austin Corps headquarters where it was sorted with expiration dates confirmed and then placed in the emergency food pantry.

“We have many to thank, both to those who took the door hangers out the week before collection, and to those who helped collect, weigh, and sort the food,” said Maxa, Scouting For Food project chairman.

“This was a big year in participation, too:  43 Cub Scouts with 33 adult leaders and parents, 28 Boy Scouts with 16 adult leaders and parents, and 39 girl Scouts with 24 adult leaders and parents helped,” Maxa said. “That totals 110 youth and 72 adults or 182 people helping.”

Jerry Foote from Pack 121 also had a special hand in arranging a special donation from Hormel Foods Corporation, which was 1,376 pounds of the total.

The Scouting For Food project was successful despite friendly competition from two other local food drives underway also on Saturday.

“Demand for emergency food is up again,” Blanton said.

The number of requests ranges between 200 and 225 each month.

“That’s why we appreciate what the Scouting For Food Project accomplished,” Blanton said.

For more information about assisting the Salvation Army Austin Corps emergency food pantry, call Blanton at 437-4566.