Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts across the state collected 240,000 pounds of donated food for the Rhode Island Community Food bank during Saturday’s Scouting for Food Drive – an increase of 33,000 pounds from last year.

The scouts went door-to-door to collect food donations that had been left in bags they distributed the week before. Collections were then brought to sorting locations – mostly fire stations – where the food was then boxed and loaded on trucks for the Food Bank. Some adults who have volunteered to assist for years reported donations as good, but not up to the levels of the late ’90s.

“The economy has had an effect,” said one Warwick volunteer.

Even so, Warwick donations, totaling 25,297 pounds, were up from last year’s 22,931 pounds. Those looking to still contribute to the drive can drop off food to Walgreens stores across the state until this Saturday.

In the 26 years scouts have been running the drive; they have collected 8.2 million pounds of food.