Austin Boy Scouts collected 2,590 pounds of food Saturday as part of the annual Scouting for Food project.

Although this was down from last year, Scouting for Food Coordinator for Southern Trails District Keven Maxa said everyone still had a good time collecting food. He noted that there are many more food drives than past years, which could account for the lower amount collected.

There were seven Cub Scouts, 17 Boy Scouts and 21 Adult Leaders at the drive. There were also 11 Girl Scouts and seven adult leaders, for a total of 59 people working together to restock the Austin Salvation Army food-shelf.

The food was delivered to local food shelves. Scouts also collected food around the area, including in cities like Albert Lea, Glenville, Emmons, Twin Lakes and Hayward.

Scouting for Food began across the nation in the 1980s, when Scouts collected an estimated 65 million cans of nonperishable food. It has since grown into an annual event. The event is a “Good Turn” project of the Boy Scouts of Anerica. This is the 40th year food has been collected locally. About 500 volunteers collected about 30,000 pounds of food in Mower, Freeborn and Faribault counties.

All donations go to support the Austin Salvation Army food shelf. The donations come during what is Minnesota FoodShare’s March campaign.

Items especially needed were paper goods, toiletry items, macaroni noodles, cooking oil, crackers, cake mixes and cookies, boxed meals, canned goods, Jello and pudding mixes, and juice and drink mixes, according to a news release. Boxes and containers should not be opened and should not contain outdated or damaged packaging.

Scouts were also at Hy-Vee on Saturday, as people that day could buy pre-bagged groceries to donate to the cause.