MARQUETTE — The United Way of Marquette County is welcoming donations for two food drives taking place this weekend.

The drives are slated to take place outside of Walmart on Friday and Saturday. Those who wish to donate can do so from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. each day. Three types of donations will be accepted.

Nonperishable items will be collected as part of WLUC-TV6’s yearly Canathon. The nonperishable items will be distributed to local food pantries, including St. Vincent de Paul of Marquette and the Salvation Army of Marquette.

Perishable items will be collected by local nonprofit organizations.

Local nonprofits participating in the can drive include Community Action Alger-Marquette, Great Lakes Recovery Centers, Janzen House, Lake Superior Village Youth & Family Center, Negaunee Senior Citizens Center, Propylon Nonprofit Housing, Room at the Inn and the Women’s Center.

“It’s rare that people can easily donate perishable food items, such as meat, dairy and fresh produce. It’s nice to know that agencies will be on-site and able to put it directly to use in their programs serving their clients,” said UWMC program coordinator Holly Michelin. “The most requested perishable items are ground beef, cheese and whole fruits and vegetables with a longer shelf life.”

Monetary contributions will be collected by the United Way of Marquette County. Those donations will be used to support food security programs across the county.

“This is a great opportunity to bring multiple groups together in a collaborative effort to raise awareness in the community of the food insecurity faced by our neighbors and the programs actively fighting to improve food security in our area,” said UWMC Executive Director Andrew Rickauer.

More information about the food drive can be found online on the United Way of Marquette County’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/unitedwaymarquette. Donations can be made online at www.uwmqt.org.