WESTBROOK – For the second year in a row, the United Way of Greater Portland is planning to hold a one-day food drive at Mission Possible Teen Center in Westbrook, according to Alice Kornhauser, vice president of marketing and communications for the nonprofit.

“I’m really optimistic that we’re going to start the season collecting,” she said.

The event will run Tuesday, Sept. 11, from 7 a.m.-2 p.m., where donors may drop off any nonperishable, healthy food items. Cash donations will also be accepted. Mayor Colleen Hilton is expected to speak during a rally there, scheduled for 9 a.m.

Last year, the United Way held a similar drive at Mission Possible, which proved to be ideal, Kornhauser said.

“It was the best location in terms of visibility or logistics,” she said.

Kornhauser said the first-time event was so successful, doing it again was a no-brainer.

“It was a great kickoff to the fall,” she said.

A similar event held in Portland last year netted more than 5,000 pounds in food, and Kornhauser said a truck provided by Wayside Food Programs will be on hand, which can hold up to 12,000 pounds of food.

“My personal goal is to fill Wayside’s big truck,” she said.

In years past, Kornhauser said, the nonprofit has kicked off its fall fundraising efforts with large events, but in recent years, United Way officials have decided to hold various smaller events at the start of the fall campaign season.

“It’s really kind of a rolling start,” she said.

The center has partnered with the United Way since it opened on Main Street in Westbrook 14 years ago. This year, the center’s executive director, Donna Dwyer, said the facility lost $50,000 in local and state funding, leading to a fundraising scramble of its own.

But the Sept. 11 food drive, Dwyer said, is for Wayside, not the center, and she is happy the center can help the United Way in its efforts.