MADISON – In a combined effort, youth in Boy Scouts of America and North Central Alabama Girl Scouts have united for a charitable project.

Scouting for Food is the collaborative effort to collect nonperishable food supplies to assemble food boxes to help families during the holiday season.

“Scouting for Food traditionally has been a Boy Scout event in Madison. This year, they are joining with the Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama,” Brownie Troop 708 Leader Beth Crocker said.

Scouts in Madison will accept non-perishable items on Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. to noon in the Hope Building basement at Asbury United Methodist Church.

Pack 83 and 351 are coordinating for Boy Scouts. Heading up the Girl Scouts is Troop 708,” Crocker said. Several Girl Scout troops will complete drop-offs in the city.

Scouting for Food welcomes any non-perishable items: canned vegetables, cranberry sauce, yams, gravy, cake mix and frosting. “But everything is appreciated,” Crocker said.

The Scouts will use the majority of the food to fill holiday food boxes distributed to local families this holiday season. “Most boxes will be delivered as a Christmas meal,” Crocker said.

In addition, the Scouts are requesting that volunteers help sort the food items on Nov. 18 between 9 a.m. to noon at Asbury.

In other areas of the country, Scouting for Food involves three steps: Scouts distribute bags to houses. They collect bags full of canned food and other nonperishable goods. They deliver the food to a local food bank or assistance group. (blog.scoutingmagazine.org)

Scouts know how fortunate we are to have a warm meal every night — whether around the campfire or at the kitchen table. And we know that not everyone is so lucky, according to “Scouting Magazine.”

Scouts and their leaders deliver the donated food to needy families throughout the council’s borders.

For more information about Scouting for Food in Madison, email Crocker at betty82402@gmail.com.