More than 100 youth from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bellevue stood outside of area grocery stores to gather food and funds for the Northwest Harvest program Saturday, July 12.

Kids ages 12-17 took their posts at 20 different store locations in several Eastside cities, including Bellevue, Issaquah, Renton, Redmond and Kirkland.

They gathered approximately 6,000 pounds of food and $5,000 in monetary donations.

The church has participated in the annual event for the past six years and has been one of the leading providers of donations, said David Hancock, who is responsible for youth programs and serves under Bellevue South Stake President Bob Johnson.

“We do it in the summer because this is the time of year when Northwest Harvest’s shelves tend to be rather empty,” Hancock said, adding that it’s been a great opportunity for youth to do something they feel good about.

Northwest Harvest is the only statewide hunger relief agency and serves 37 of Washington’s 39 counties and secures approximately 18 million pounds of food each year for distribution through a network of more than 300 partner food programs.

All of the program’s food and funds come from individuals, businesses, foundations and other organizations, and 93 percent of its total budget goes to food distribution. For more information about Northwest Harvest, call 206-625-0755.