AUGUSTA — The seventh annual Camp Out Hunger Food Drive could not come soon enough for the Salvation Army Capital Region Corps food bank as requests from area families doubled the last week in October. The food drive in the parking lot of Sam’s Club, at 45 Marketplace Drive, will end Friday afternoon.

Salvation Army Capt. Keith Davis has been stationed in Augusta for five years and said this was the first time food was taken directly from the food drive and immediately distributed because of high demand. In past years, he said they would move all the food at the end of the week to restock.

Since 2019, radio station hosts from 92Moose (WMME-FM) and B98.5 (WEBB-FM) have spent an early November week camping in and broadcasting from the parking lot to accepting donations of nonperishable food. The food is given to the food bank which serves the greater Augusta-Waterville area.

Davis said they typically average 170 families in need of food assistance a month, but 345 families asked for help at the end of last month.

This year Davis has taken items daily to restock the food bank at 36 Eastern Ave. He said items in demand are rice, pasta sauce, cereal, canned fruit and vegetables, and canned meat, like chicken or tuna.

For more information about the food bank visit easternusa.salvationarmy.org.