Scout food drive starts Saturday

The 19th annual Scouting For Food Drive begins Saturday, when residents will find plastic bags secured to their doorknobs in hope of a gift for the needy the following week.

On Nov. 22, Boy Scouts will return to pick up the filled bags. Within 48 hours, the first donations will be on food pantry shelves, ready to feed the hungry.

"Every single canned good collected during the Scouting for Food drive goes directly into the pantries for the area's needy," said Shannon Mungle of the Gibson Recovery Food Pantry in Cape Girardeau. "When selecting canned goods to share with these families, choosing a healthy combination -- one that you would select for your own family -- is an extremely valuable contribution."

According to an October U.S. Census Bureau Report, the number of poor in America rose for two consecutive years from 11.7 percent in 2001 to 12.1 percent in 2002.