Scouts provide food giveaway manpower

VW independent/submitted information

Local Boy Scouts are doing their “good deed for the day” by helping unload trucks of food for the local United Way organization.

The perfect storm of school closures, quarantined citizens, and social distancing has made obtaining food a high priority for all people around Ohio. The situation is no different in Van Wert County.

“The food shipments we are receiving are providing emergency food bags for students out of school and quarantined residents that are unable to go to the store,” said United Way Executive Director Vicki Smith. 

“The call originally came from the United Way to our chartered organization, First United Methodist Church. They were asking for help with unloading the trucks,” said Greg Amstutz, committee chairman for Scouts BSA Troop 31. Once Greg received the request from his church he knew exactly how to help. “I thought this would be a perfect way for my Scouts to help and we volunteered our services right away.”

Amstutz then mobilized his unit, deploying them on every Tuesday to unload food from the trucks and build the pallets back up in the gymnasium.  

Both Scouts BSA troops, consisting of male and female Scouts, respectively, have unloaded four trucks, helped make food bags, and totaled 141 hours of service thus far. 

Smith acknowledged the help is appreciated and is a great service. 

“This is manual labor, physically unloading food, moving pallets, and then reassembling this food for packing and distribution to residents.”

Throughout the history of the Boy Scouts of America, Scouts have always answered the bell in crisis. According to the Museum of the American GI: “Scouts sold over 2 million Liberty Bonds during World War I, collected fruit pits to be processed into charcoal for gas masks, and helped inventory black walnut trees for use as propellers and gun stocks.”

Amstutz understands this is an entirely different fight people are facing right now, but believes this is what Scouting is all about. 

“This amounts to living out the Scout Oath and Law, and being prepared to serve and help those in your community,” he said. “We are providing manpower during a time of shortage and helping out an agency that supports Scouting.”

The safety of the Scouts and all the volunteers are of utmost important to the United Way, especially during a time when social distancing is of high priority. Smith has implemented measures to make sure everyone is as safe as possible.

“We are screening all of the volunteers when they come in, allowing only a group of 10 individuals to volunteer at a time, and are making sure we maintain the minimum six feet of distance between each other,” she noted.

Averaging six to seven Scouts and a few adults per assignment, the Scout troops will continue to do what is asked of them, Amstutz added.

“We are prepared, from our adult leaders to our Scouts; we are here to help.”