Around 112 years ago World Scouting started thanks to Lord Baden Powell. Today is his Birthday, he would be 164. Take a few moments to view Lord Baden Powell’s last message to Scouts at this link- https://www.scout.org/node/19215 .

Lord Baden Powell Last speech – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iJV1HY47sg

Enjoy a wonderful day.

YIS,
Mr. Gephart
Scoutmaster
Troop 13

(This story appeared in the January-February 2018 issue of Scouting magazine.)

One December day in 1926, James E. West, the first Chief Scout Executive, ran into Bill Hillcourt, a new Supply Service employee. They were standing by the elevator inside BSA headquarters, which was then in New York City.

“Well, my young man, what do you think of American Scouting?” West asked.

Hillcourt, then 26, emigrated from Denmark, where he’d earned the equivalent of the Eagle Scout rank. He shared his thoughts as the men rode downstairs, but he didn’t stop there.

“His words may have been just a casual remark. But I took them seriously,” Hillcourt recalled in a 1985 Boys’ Life article. “I wrote an 18-page report and sent it to him. It was complimentary in spots, critical in others. But for each criticism I offered a suggestion for remedying the situation.”

Within a week, Hillcourt was sitting in West’s office discussing his report — especially its emphasis on the patrol method. He left with the assignment to write the BSA’s first Handbook for Patrol Leaders. The book, which appeared in 1929, sold nearly a quarter-million copies in its first 10 years.

From Aarhus to America

A native of Aarhus, Denmark, Hillcourt spoke English as a second language. Still, he spoke the universal language of Scouting.

He first learned about Scouting when his older brother gave him a copy of Robert Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys for Christmas in 1910. He became a Scout the next month. In 1917, Hillcourt earned Danish Scouting’s highest rank, Knight-Scout.

In 1920, he attended the first World Scout Jamboree, held in England. (Hillcourt went on to attend all but two World Scout Jamborees, as well as every BSA National Jamboree, until he died in 1992.)

Hillcourt studied to be a pharmacist, but he was more interested in Scouting and writing. In 1926, he traveled to the United States as a reporter for a Copenhagen newspaper. He spent the summer at Scout camp, and then took a job with the BSA Supply Service, which led to his chance encounter with West.

Becoming Green Bar Bill

Hillcourt soon joined the staff of Boys’ Life magazine and launched a monthly column for patrol leaders under the pen name Green Bar Bill. (“Green Bar” comes from the patrol leader emblem.) “No rocking-chair adventuring for us,” he promised readers, “but the real kind, out on the trail under the open sky, following the by-paths through the woods.”

Hillcourt continued writing for Boys’ Life until his retirement in 1965. Across his 39-year career he also wrote the first edition of the Scout Field Book(1944), two editions of The Scout Handbook (1959 and 1965) and the 1936 Handbook for Scoutmasters, a two-volume tome that came in at an astonishing 1,164 printed pages.

Learning by Doing

Much of the material in the Handbook for Scoutmasters came from personal experience. In 1934, Hillcourt and his wife, Grace — who had been one of West’s secretaries — moved to Mendham, N.J., home to Schiff Scout Reservation. There, he founded Troop 1, a unit with which he could test out his ideas.

The Hillcourts’ home — a converted stone sheep barn at Schiff — became a sort of Scouting research lab.

“Grace would make recipes for him at home, and that’s what would end up being in the handbooks,” says Houston Scouter Nelson Block, a longtime Hillcourt friend.

Besides writing extensively, Hillcourt also helped bring Wood Badge training to America. He participated in two experimental courses at Schiff in 1936, and then — after World War II interrupted the program’s development — served as Scoutmaster of the first two official courses in 1948.

His Greatest Contribution

Hillcourt’s biggest impact came after he retired. In 1972, he saw the need for a new Scout handbook, one that would capture the romance and excitement of Scouting, so he offered to write it for free. It was an offer the BSA couldn’t — and didn’t — refuse.

That handbook — the ninth edition — appeared in 1979 and went on to sell 4.4 million copies. In its opening pages, 78-year-old Hillcourt described the same sense of adventure he had first experienced so many decades ago: hiking and camping with friends, following the footsteps of the pioneers, staring into the glowing embers of a campfire and dreaming of the future.

He also made a promise, one he knew from personal experience to be true: “Your life as a Scout will make you strong and self-reliant. You will learn Scoutcraft skills that will benefit you as you grow. In time, you will develop skills of leadership as well. So pitch in! Swing into action! In your patrol and your troop you will have some of the best times of your life.”

Hillcourt died in 1992 during the final leg of a world Scouting tour. His New York Times obituary called him “the most widely known figure in Scouting.” His fans, even today, simply call him Green Bar Bill.

The COVID-19 pandemic has limited what we’re able to do in groups, but that hasn’t stopped Scouts and Scouters from continuing Scouting. This article features ways Scouts are making a difference in their communities. (See some other examples here.)

If your unit is planning to meet in person again, make sure to follow these guidelines for restarting Scouting. If your unit is continuing Scouting from home, maybe these examples can help inspire you and your Scouts.

To share how you make Scouting shine, visit go.scoutingmagazine.org/showandtell. You can also email us at scoutingmag@gmail.com or post on social media using #ScoutingShowandTell.

Your submissions

Backyard camping

Helping prevent the spread of COVID-19 meant many units couldn’t camp together. That didn’t stop Scouts from getting outdoors, even if it was their backyards.

Joe Mallow of Troop 132 in Madison, Wis., participated in the BSA’s National Camp-Inlast spring. Then he camped out in his backyard for the entire month of May. The weather ranged from a couple of nights below freezing to thunderstorms to daytime temperatures hitting the mid-80s.

Many units have hosted backyard campouts during the pandemic. Pack 838 and girls Troop 601 of Columbia, Md., organized a virtual campout on Facebook called the Great Oakland Mills Camp Out and invited other families in their community to join. During the event, the Scouts showed videos they made featuring outdoor ethics, fire starting, hiking safety, plant identification and beekeeping. The event ended with a Zoom call in which Scouts shared jokes, songs and skits.

Councils also hosted online camping events, like the Chickasaw Council in Tennessee, which encouraged Scouts to work on the Cooking merit badge from home.

The backyard is a great place for pioneering projects, too! Tenderfoot Scout Brent Weeks of Troop 1876 in Arvada, Colo., built this impressive tower in his backyard.

Helping others

Scouts help other people at all times. Matthew Carr of Troop 5679 in Victorville, Calif., worked with local restaurants to organize weekly food deliveries to firefighters, hospital staff and police officers in his community. He chose to partner with struggling small restaurants to help them through this challenging time.

Girls Pack 303 and girls Troop 303, both of Hanoverton, Ohio, made sure two outdoor food pantries — constructed as an Eagle Scout project more than a year ago — have remained stocked during the pandemic.

Boys Troop 612 and girls Troop 612 organized a food drive for a food pantry in Baltimore, Md. Scouts from both troops worked together to collect donations while observing social-distancing guidelines. They collected 130 bags of food and $300 for the food pantry.

Troop 237 of Williams Bay, Wis., collected snacks, bottled water and gift cards. Scouts then took those donations and made 205 thank-you bags, which they delivered to police departments, fire and EMS stations, and hospital emergency rooms.

Troop 483 in Hampton Bays, N.Y., organized a drive-through Scouting for Food drive, collecting 1,789 pounds of non-perishable goods, as well as $1,000 in cash and gift cards for a local food pantry.

Troop 71 of Oakhurst, N.J., planted 500 American flags to honor soldiers at several area cemeteries.

Crossovers

Even during a pandemic, Webelos Scouts still cross over into the Scouts BSA program. Pack 310 of Mandeville, La., held an Arrow of Light bridging ceremony in front of Scouts’ homes for those crossing over into Troop 310. The new Scouts BSA members were presented with troop neckerchiefs while everyone practiced social distancing.

Cub Scout Pack 444 of Hollister, Calif., held its crossover ceremony on wheels. Families drove their Cub Scouts, who held signs marking their achievements of advancing to the next rank.

Virtual meetings

Units have been using video-conferencing applications to continue meeting. Remember to check the security settings of any online application you use to ensure the safety of you and your Scouts and review BSA’s Youth Protection policies.

Scoutmaster Jim Keck of Troop 1114 in Magnolia, Texas, holds virtual meetings over Zoom. He makes sure each Scout attending is included in the virtual discussions.

Scoutmaster Nick Melchi of Troop 239 in Lake Geneva, Wis., asked his Scouts to help continue a troop tradition via video. Before the pandemic, after every troop meeting, everyone would link hands to form a circle while Scoutmaster Melchi presented a Scoutmaster Minute. At the end of the Scoutmaster Minute, he would say, “Be Prepared,” and the troop would respond with “We are prepared” while releasing hands. Now Scouts put up the Scout sign while responding to their Scoutmaster.

Troop 177 of Edmond, Okla., has used Zoom to continue holding troop meetings, patrol leaders’ council meetings, rank-specific classes and troop committee meetings, as well as helping its district host roundtable meetings and Order of the Arrow meetings. They’ve also done service projects by writing thank-you letters to hospital doctors, nurses and staff.

Life Scout Bridget Brady of girls Troop 1150 in Sparta, N.J., earned the Communication merit badge by using Zoom. She communicated with her merit badge counselor and a couple of other Scouts also working on the badge.

Troop 312 of Penfield, N.Y., continued its tradition of Scouts working on the Collections merit badge. Traditionally, Scouts would bring their collections to meetings to show others. That’s still possible with virtual meetings — in fact, the troop’s Show & Tell was on virtual meeting agendas for weeks in a row.

Of course, not all virtual meetings need to be indoors. Webelos leader Corbet Hoover and his son Bridger have been connecting virtually to den meetings from their backyard in Durango, Colo.

Having fun

Cub Scouts from Pack 17 in Macomb Township, Mich., managed to put on a skit from their homes by filming themselves for different parts of this hilarious skit.

After researchers John Palfrey and Urs Gasser wrote the research-heavy Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Nativesback in 2008, parents started peppering them with requests for advice. In response, they’ve written The Connected Parent: An Expert Guide to Parenting in a Digital World (Hachette, 2020). The book distills what they’ve learned from 15 years of research they’ve done at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, as well as other research studies and their own experience as parents and teachers.

Scouting interviewed Palfrey, who is president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, to find out what parents need to know. This interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

What is “connected parenting”?

Palfrey: It’s a way to think about what is good about new technology and also where the risks are. Likewise, it’s a way to link up the way parents think about technology with the way they think about the rest of parenting. A lot of it is about having an ongoing conversation with your kids, which is an obvious thing but is important particularly with technology, where they think they know more than you do.

Do parents need to become, say, Instagram experts?

Palfrey: Our advice to parents is to get your hands dirty, but don’t feel you have to master every aspect of the technology. An example might be gaming. We know that virtually all young people like to get involved in online gaming of some sort. They actually are often open to showing their parents how it works. I don’t think you need to be on every game and playing at all hours, but certainly engaging in that with your young people can open interesting doors for conversation. It’s mostly about staying credible and being able to give good advice.

Does the research scare you or give you hope?

Palfrey: Overall, I’m reassured that this generation is going to be OK and that we can guide them to responsible and good technology use — and that there are ways that that can in fact be positive for them on a social and emotional front and on a cognitive front. I think there are a lot of upsides, and that’s what we’re encouraging parents to try to see.

So, when can technology become detrimental?

Palfrey: Take, for instance, a young person who has concerns about her body image. If she is constantly on a social-media site that is showing only the most beautiful versions of the thinnest people, that certainly can exacerbate her eating disorder. Those are the cases where parents need to find professional help for their kids. Just taking away their cellphone leaves the underlying issue there. It’s not as simple as a technological fix.

Any other advice to parents?

Palfrey: I think parents underestimate the power of modeling, and I think they also underestimate some of the challenges if they don’t model great behavior themselves. It’s very hard to be credible with your kids if you don’t do what you’re telling them to do.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; a journey of 50 miles can begin with a step, a J-stroke or even a “giddyap.” The BSA’s 50-Miler Award recognizes Scouts and adult leaders who travel 50 miles over five or more days without the aid of motors. The mileage is defined, but the opportunities are unlimited.

WHAT MODES OF TRAVEL COUNT FOR THIS AWARD? Options include hiking, boating, canoeing, bicycling, and riding horses, mules, donkeys or llamas. Motorized transportation doesn’t count, so leave the hoverboard at home.

HOW LONG MUST A TRIP LAST? To qualify, a trip must last a minimum of five consecutive days. There’s no upper limit.

ARE THERE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS? Yes: The group must make a complete plan for the trip, including the possibilities of advancement, conservation, leadership and service. Participants must complete at least 10 hours of service work related to the trail or waterway they’re using.

WHAT KIND OF SERVICE PROJECTS COUNT? Possibilities including clearing trails, cleaning up shorelines, improving waterways, cleaning up campsites and leaving a firewood supply. Think of how your group could enhance the experience of future trail or waterway users.

I’M NOT SURE WE CAN COMPLETE 10 HOURS OF SERVICE IN FIVE DAYS OF BACKPACKING. ARE THERE OTHER OPTIONS? As an alternative, you can complete a similar project in your home area. In fact, if you complete a trek at Philmont Scout Ranch, you’ll probably need to do most of the work back home: Philmont crews typically complete three hours of service during their treks while meeting all the other award requirements.

GOING 50 MILES IS A LOT EASIER BY BIKE THAN ON FOOT. WHY NOT SET DIFFERENT LEVELS? Keep in mind that mileage is just one requirement. The award recognizes the entire experience.

WHO CAN EARN THE 50-MILER AWARD? The award is for Scouts, Venturers, Sea Scouts and their adult leaders. Members of a troop, crew, ship or provisional unit (like a council contingent to Northern Tier) are eligible.

WHO APPROVES THE AWARD? The unit leader or tour leader.

HOW DO WE APPLY FOR THE AWARD? Complete the 50-Miler Award Application(No. 430-067) and submit it to your local council service center.

WHAT RECOGNITION ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE? Three items are available: an embroidered emblem (No. 191), a decal (No. 32261) and a staff shield (No. 14131). The emblem can be attached to a tent, pack or patch blanket; it’s not designed for uniform wear. The decal can be attached to a boat, paddle or plaque.

CAN AN INDIVIDUAL EARN THIS AWARD MORE THAN ONCE? Yes.

WHAT ELSE DO WE NEED TO KNOW? Be sure to apply the Sweet Sixteen of BSA Safety, as well as the activity-specific rules found in the Guide to Safe Scouting (No. 34416).

This story was originally published in the January-February 2020 issue of Scouting magazine.

Since kids don’t grow up overnight, it sometimes can be hard to tell from week to week how much of a difference you’re making as a Scouting volunteer. The BSA’s training awards and keys can help you track your progress and help you be more successful.

WHAT IS A TRAINING AWARD?

A training award is a position-specific recognition earned by Scouters who meet certain tenure, training and performance requirements.

WHAT TENURE IS REQUIRED?

One year for den leaders; two years for all other positions.

WHAT TRAINING IS REQUIRED?

Basic training for your position plus specified supplemental training depending on your position. For example, a den leader must attend a pow wow, a University of Scouting or at least four roundtables, while a Sea Scout leader must attend a boating safety course.

WHAT PERFORMANCE IS REQUIRED?

You must do four or five things, which vary by position, such as participating in an annual unit-planning meeting or giving primary leadership in meeting a Journey to Excellence objective.

WHAT RECOGNITION ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE?

Most recipients receive a medal (No. 922) that features a fleur-de-lis superimposed over an “A” suspended from a green ribbon with a narrow white stripe. Den leaders receive a medal (No. 615864) that features a fleur-de-lis superimposed over a diamond suspended from a blue and gold ribbon. For everyday wear for den leaders, there’s a gold knot on a blue background (No. 5016); for everyday wear for other Scouters, there’s a green knot on a tan background (No. 5008). Small pins, called devices, go on the knot to indicate the specific program(s) in which the award was earned.

WHAT IS A SCOUTER’S KEY?

A key is a more advanced award earned by the top leader in a unit (i.e., Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Advisor or Skipper).

WHAT TENURE IS REQUIRED?

Three years as the top unit leader within a five-year period. (Tenure used to earn the Scouter’s Training Award can be included.) In Cub Scouting, one of the three years can be as an assistant Cubmaster.

WHAT TRAINING IS REQUIRED?

As with the training awards, a Scouter’s Key requires basic training for your position plus specified supplemental training.

WHAT PERFORMANCE IS REQUIRED?

Your unit must achieve at least the Silver level of Journey to Excellence for at least two years; you must participate in at least one additional supplemental or advanced training event; and you must complete one or two other program-specific requirements.

WHAT RECOGNITION ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE?

Most recipients receive a medal (No. 924) that features a fleur-de-lis superimposed over a key suspended from a green ribbon with a wide white stripe. Sea Scout Skippers receive a similar medal (No. 616990) that has a blue ribbon instead. For everyday wear, there’s a green and white knot on a tan background (No. 5006). Devices go on the knot to indicate the specific program(s) in which the award was earned.

WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?

Visit scouting.org/training/adult.

Dogsledding at Snow Base

Ride along with Scouts at Snow Base in Wisconsin as they zip along the winter terrain on dogsleds. December’s issue also details how Scouts went cross-country skiing and tubing, and built quinzees to sleep overnight in the snow.

Look Up

You don’t need to visit an observatory to navigate the cosmos. Open the pages of Boys’ Life to explore the night sky with guides catered to your Scout. Older readers can discover how to find certain stars and planets, while younger readers can learn cool facts about the moon.

Exploring our World

Eagle Scouts visit the corners of the globe in search of scientific secrets. Read how college-aged Eagles in the National Eagle Scout Association’s World Explorers program seek answers to life on other planets, humankind’s origins and animals’ evolutionary history.

Boys’ Life magazine helps your Scouting unit and your Scouts excel. Research shows that boys and girls who subscribe advance further, spend more time outdoors and stay in Scouting longer than those who don’t. Plus, Boys’ Lifehelps start your youth on the path to becoming lifelong readers. Today’s readers are tomorrow’s leaders!

Get Boys’ Life in print and digital! Go to boyslife.org/subscribe and use code DIGPRT12 to unlock our special Scout rate — $12 for a full year of 10 issues! Are you or your youth already BL subscribers? Download the Boys’ Lifeapp from the iOS or Google Play stores. Open the app, tap on “Subscriptions” and enter the requested info from your magazine’s address label.

Last fall, the Unicorn Patrol — a group of girl Webelos Scouts from Pack 374 in Virginia Beach, Va. — just happened to be planning a meal for their council’s fall festival when they noticed a certain story in their favorite magazine.

The timing was perfect. The Boys’ Life article about a Scouts BSA troop from Connecticut that hosts an annual Thanksgiving camping event inspired the girls to start their own Thanksgiving tradition.

They call it Friendsgiving.

This year, due to COVID-19, they’re limiting it to den families and a few special guests. (They’re also following local and state guidance, as well as the Restart Scouting Checklist. They hold everything outdoors, and they don’t camp together.)

Good food!

Using BLas their guide — and under adult supervision — the girls plan an entire Thanksgiving meal, including turkey (of course) and other delicious treats cooked on camp stoves and Dutch ovens.

“[Last fall] they cooked a 16-pound turkey in a trash can for 2½ hours,” den leader Brandy Schlossberg says. “It was delicious! The meat literally fell off the bone. The girls worked together and prepared one of the most memorable camping meals ever.”

At the Tidewater Council’s Pipsico Scout Reservation, the girls also conducted a hike and did a trash clean-up service project on the shores of the James River.

While they waited for the turkeys to cook, they went on a hayride, tackled the camp’s obstacle course and even found time for some pumpkin carving.

The Unicorn Patrol’s Thanksgiving favorites

• Turkeys cooked in a trash can

• Dutch oven corn bread

• Camp oven potatoes, gravy, green beans, stuffing and pumpkin spice cupcakes

Photos courtesy of Pack 374.

This story originally appeared in the November-December 2018 issue of Scouting magazine

It’s the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and Samuel Wynn is spending the morning riding around a St. Louis neighborhood in a truck picking up bags of donated food.

Some are so heavy that they take two boys to lift.

“People put in a lot of metal canned goods and other food for us Scouts to pick up,” says Samuel, 11, a Tenderfoot Scout in Troop 51.

After being gathered from residents’ porches and doorsteps by Greater St. Louis Area Council Scouts, Cub Scouts, Venturers and Explorers, donations are taken to local firehouses and food pantries. Scouts sort and box food items before sending them on to the St. Louis Area Foodbank, a nonprofit food distribution center. Hundreds of local food pantries receive the donations. After that, they’re picked up by some of the nearly 400,000 people whom the food bank network serves in Missouri and Illinois.

Despite the physically demanding work, Samuel has participated in Scouting for Food every year for the last four years since he was a Cub Scout. He looks forward to this giant service project every November.

“It feels good, because you’re helping somebody,” he says.

Scouting for Food began in St. Louis in 1985 as a council-wide service project. It became a national BSA program in 1988. Today, many councils across the country participate, collectively gathering hundreds of thousands of pounds of shelf-stable goods for food-disadvantaged residents of their local communities.

The dates for Scouting for Food vary by council. In many councils, like the one in St. Louis, the drive takes place in November.

The Scouting for Food effort in St. Louis was the first, and it’s still the largest.

“It’s very significant,” says Laura Morgan, manager of the food pantry at Northside Seventh-day Adventist Church in St. Louis. “To me, it’s a great and wonderful thing.”

Cheerfully Serving

Scouts agree with Morgan’s assessment.

“I really like doing the food pickup. It helps out people in need,” says Adin Millard, a 13-year-old Star Scout in Troop 380 of Fort Smith, Ark. Adin has participated in the program for seven years as a member of the Westark Area Council.

Adults are fans of Scouting for Food, too, in no small part because of the appreciation expressed by the people and organizations it benefits.

“I get thank-you notes in by the dozen from these pantries,” says Suzie Redington, activities director for the Greater St. Louis Area Council. “Everyone is so grateful for it. For some food pantries, Scouting for Food keeps their shelves stocked for up to three to four months.”

Michael Hennies first got involved with the annual food drive as a Scout with his troop based in Mankato, Minn. He participated regularly on his way toward becoming an Eagle Scout. Now he’s the Cubmaster of Pack 214 of St. Louis.

“The Scouting for Food drive, I’d say, basically is the cornerstone activity of our pack from a service standpoint,” Hennies says. “It’s a big deal. In St. Louis, one in three people fall underneath the poverty line.”

Perhaps the biggest reason adults love Scouting for Food is that their Scouts love it so much.

“When I was a Cubmaster, I’d ask the kids at the end of the year what their favorite activity was,” says Tim Redmond, Scoutmaster of Troop 51 in St. Louis and director of the Scouting for Food project in the council’s Thunderbird District. “You’d think it would be Pinewood Derby or something like that, but it was always Scouting for Food. They get it. They understand what it’s for.”

Dylan Stokes, an Arrow of Light Cub Scout in Pack 214 of St. Louis, offers powerful evidence.

“I look forward to Scouting for Food every year, because we want to help other people,” he says.

How It’s Made

Scouting for Food is much more than two weekends of service. It requires a big investment of time, effort and money. Planning for the next year’s drive starts right after the previous one ends. By May, Greater St. Louis Area Council activities director Redington is writing letters to partners. About then, district Scouting for Food directors are beginning to allocate service areas to individual units.

On the financial side, the St. Louis council pays $16,000 for boxes to transport collected items. An anonymous benefactor supplies more than a million plastic bags used to collect food. Sunset Transportation donates trucks and drivers to move tons of food from firehouses to the food bank. MERS Missouri Goodwill Industries provides advertising and collects donations from households up to a week after the scheduled pickup date.

Distributing bags and boxes to Scout units and collection sites, coordinating with partners, raising awareness through marketing and myriad other tasks occupy much of the intervening year. The culmination of it all is pickup day.

“As far as council staff, it’s an all-hands-on-deck day,” Redington says. “Every council person has a hand in it.”

Many Flavors

Councils tend to do Scouting for Food drives their own way. Each variant suits a council’s individual situation. California’s Orange County Council has participated in the food drive since the 1980s, says Will Abbott, who heads up the program for his council.

Orange County Scouts collaborate with other youth-serving organizations to distribute bags or door hangers a few weeks before Thanksgiving.

The next weekend, the Orange County Scouts and other volunteers return to pick up the food and take the bags to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. A local grocery store helps by placing barrels to collect donations, which Scouts pick up for delivery to the food bank. The combination yielded more than 52,000 pounds of food in 2016.

The Westark Area Council in Arkansas holds its drive in February. Scouts there follow the pattern of distributing bags throughout the council area, then returning the following weekend to collect donated items and take them to collection centers, where they are sorted, boxed and delivered to food pantries.

Local grocer Harps Food Stores supplies the Westark food collection bags and gives flyers to shoppers during the week before collection. A local TV station, KFSM 5NEWS, helps with promotion. On collection day, Scouts stationed at grocery stores hand donation bags to shoppers as they enter.

The grocer began assisting the council three years ago and has enabled it to double its collections from around 30,000 pounds to more than 60,000, assistant Scout executive Christian Swaim says.

“Having the grocery store partner creates more enthusiasm for the project,” says Swaim. “It’s not just kids going to doors. It’s partnering with a local business. And they’re even in the smallest towns that we serve.”

Making It Work

Scouting for Food is the sort of project that seems to please everyone associated with it. However, veterans of the initiative say there are some things to keep in mind for the drive to have maximum impact.

One big reminder: Keep it meaningful to participants. One way to do that is to show Scouts the physical evidence as well as the personal impact of what they’re doing.

Redmond, the St. Louis Scout volunteer, recalls taking a group of Cub Scouts to a food pantry to see what they’d helped collect.

“There was a wall of boxes,” he says. “They looked in there and said, ‘Wow, we did that!’ It really sinks in.”

Food Drive Do’s and Don’ts

DO:

Let people know what to donate — canned and shelf-stable foods but no perishables or glass.

Get community partners. Grocers, transportation companies, media outlets and other organizations can provide invaluable assistance with logistics, publicity and more.

Consider having one person in charge of the annual campaign. (If that person is you, don’t try to do it all yourself.)

Consider doing it at Thanksgiving, when the spirit of giving and food needs are high. (Successful drives occur from November to March, and many food pantries say their greatest need is in January and February.)

Be sure Scouts and other volunteers have enough work to keep them busy. (But not too much work. And try to arrange things so they don’t stay too late on collection day.)

Offer a special patch to participants.

Keep it local. From food-donating households to Scouts and Scouters, everyone appreciates that the food will nourish local residents.

DON’T:

Fail to pick up sacks of donated food. If possible, line up a drop-off location after collection day or provide a phone number or email for people to contact if their donation was missed.

Let Scouts run through residents’ yards.

Ignore safety. Minimize street crossing by having Scouts work one side of the block at a time.

Assume good weather. Food-drive volunteers might labor in cold, wind, rain, snow and/or ice.

Be afraid to start small. If a council is not doing the food drive now, consider starting in one district and expanding.

Photographs by W. Garth Dowling

Staying inside all winter shouldn’t be an option for Scout units.

Sure, it might be cold. But as long as it’s safe to go outside, you should make every effort to get out there.

Make sure you check the Restart Scouting Checklist, and then check our list below to Be Prepared for cold-weather outings.

• Make sure everyone stays loose, both in clothing and in state of mind. Loose clothing is critical in maintaining good circulation, which, in turn, is critical in keeping you warm. Patience and a good sense of humor will also go far in making your cold-weather adventures successful.

  

• It’s not necessary to get the most expensive cold-weather clothing. It’s only necessary to get the right materials. No cotton! Make sure your Scouts dress in layers of fleece, wool and other materials that can insulate even when wet.
• Check your head! Heat loss from an uncovered head can be enormous. Stocking hats made of wool or fleece work great. Combine that with a scarf or other neck warmer, and your Scouts will be good to go.

  

• Make sure everyone has good shoes. Again, they don’t have to be the most expensive pieces of footwear. A decent pair of hiking boots — when paired with winter-weight socks — will likely be fine. Just keep everyone’s feet dry and insulated, and make sure the shoes aren’t so tight that they restrict blood circulation.
• Mittens vs. gloves: Either can work. Most people find that mittens keep their hands warmer, because their fingers share warmth through direct contact. However, gloves are better for manipulating gear. Whatever your Scouts go with, make sure they have extra pairs — mittens and gloves are the clothing item mostly like to get wet.

  

• Drink up! Drinking fluids is just as important in winter as it is in hot weather. Remind all Scouts to take a sip of water on a regular basis.
• Eat up! Your body is a furnace, and food is the fuel that feeds it. Hot foods — think soups and stews — are easy to make and will help keep everyone warm.

  

• Plan, plan, plan. Remind Scouts about having the correct gear months in advance. Then remind them again as you get closer to your winter outing. In the days before the trip, check the forecast regularly. There’s no reason to tough out a winter campout in extreme conditions. On the other hand, if the weather outlook looks about normal for your area, go for it!