When our Webelos 2 Den set out to complete their Duty to God in Action adventure, they wanted to do a service project that was a little different.
With the help of their adult leaders, they create a plan to collect and distribute needed supplies for some of the homeless community in Philadelphia.
In early March, the Scouts collected various supplies like toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouth wash, toilet paper, hand wipes, sock and snacks. These supplies were packed into about 30 individual Ziploc bags.
On Saturday, March 24th, the Scouts got to work today at Suburban Station at 17th and JFK. Together with their parents, they distributed water bottles and the Ziploc bags to some of the homeless people in the station. The Den chose this area because it is a heavily populated area with homeless people; they usually use this station as a place to keep warm on colder days.They quickly learned that they did not have nearly enough bags, but they were happy to help those they could. The Den handed out additional water bottles where they could.
Additionally, one of the adult leaders purchased a few copies of the “One Step Away” newspaper to share with the Scouts. This is a street paper that is sold by homeless people, created as an income means for them.
Our Webelos Den did a good job handing out the supplies and communicating with the people. A few commuters stopped by to thank us for our service. Afterwards, the Den took a bit to reflect on the reactions from the service. All of the Scouts and their parents were truly shocked, and overwhelmed, with the amount of people who needed help. Our Scouts realized that with more participation, perhaps with the whole Pack, more people could have been helped.
At the end of the day, it was a successful program, and the people did thank us for taking the time out to care about them. Our Scouts indeed learned a lot that day about how to best help the members in their own community, and how that relates specifically to their Duty to God.
