By AMANDA KIMBLE
TheFlashToday.com
STEPHENVILLE (November 24, 2016) – All that’s keeping a group of local boys from accomplishing their goal is more than $2,000 and enough items to fill 125 care packages.
Erath County Cub Scout Pack 18, boys in kindergarten through fifth grade, worked hard on their annual popcorn fundraiser. They set up booths outside of local businesses, encouraging community members to support their primary funding effort.
“The fundraiser pays for their monthly awards,” Cub Master Debora Beverly said. “A lot of people give extra money, and we usually use it to buy popcorn care packages from our supplier who sends them to soldiers stationed overseas.”
This year, the boys decided to do things a bit differently.
“Since one of the boys has a father who is deployed, the boys decided they wanted to use the money to buy popcorn and put together care packages to send directly to all soldiers from Erath County,” Beverly said. “They had the idea of sending these packages from home, a local effort.”
Beverly anticipated assembling and shipping 15 or 20 packages to local men and women serving in the various branches of the military. But, she was shocked to discover the actual scope of the project.
“There are 125 Erath County soldiers currently deployed,” Beverly said. “We have a goal to send a care package to each of them.”
Pack 18 has no doubt they will meet their goal, and Beverly will no doubt do everything she can to not let them down. They want to accomplish the task quickly enough to get the boxes in the hands of soldiers in time for Christmas.
“The money the community gave to help us purchase the popcorn was a great start,” Beverly said. “Now we just need to collect enough money to ship packages to 125 soldiers and enough supplies to fill each of them.”
Donations for ready-to-ship items like moist wipes, eye drops, lip balm, as well as prepackaged, nonperishable snacks such as beef jerky (no pork), Slim Jims, crackers, hard candy, chewing gum, mints, cookies and peanuts.
The Cub Scouts are also collecting monetary donations to ship the packages. Beverly said each will cost about $18 to send, making the estimated shipping cost more than $2,200.
“That’s a big goal, but I am confident this community will help these boys get the care packages to our local soldiers,” she said. “It’s great project for individuals, families, groups and organizations that are looking for a way to give back over the holiday season. They could contribute by sponsoring the shipping of one or several boxes or by purchasing items for the packages.”
The scouts will make Christmas cards over Thanksgiving break that will be included in the packages, and community members are invited to supply their own greetings to be included.
Cub Scout Pack 18 is also calling on volunteers to help prepare the care packages shipping at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 3 at the Morris Gifford Scout Hut.
To make a donation, contact Beverly at 254-592-4166.
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