Thousands of people across the U.S. recently found a blue grocery bag tied to their door handle — an annual tradition known as Scouting for Food that started 40 years ago in St. Louis.

Residents filled the bags with canned food and other items, such as peanut butter, beans, apple sauce and toothpaste. They then placed the full bags back outside their door.

Troops from Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, mobilized across the country to collect the bags over the weekend, securing millions of pounds of food and other resources for local pantries — and learning firsthand what it means to serve their communities.

Paola Rodriguez / St. Louis Public Radio

This year's collection just so happens to be occurring at a time when many Americans are in an urgent need

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