The annual food drive by Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in Shawano is wrapping up Saturday.
Boy Scout Troop 32 last week helped hand out about 4,000 plastic bags throughout the city for the donations, which they will pick up, box up and take to the Shawano Area Food Pantry and Resource Center.
“People are typically pretty generous,” said Peter Moesch, co-Scoutmaster of the troop with Pat Bohm.
Moesch got involved in Scouting when his oldest son joined Cub Scouts.
“I loved it,” Moesch said. “It teaches good life skills that I think every boy should learn. It teaches respect of your own faith and of others.”
Bohm was in Scouting before becoming a leader.
“It’s a long-standing traditional organization,“ Bohm said. “The end game is they should have learned skills to be a leader.”
Bohm earned the Eagle Scout award, the highest award for Boy Scouts. He said there is an advantage to attaining that rank.
“It gives you more credibility that other people may not have,” Bohm said. “It opens up a lot of doors and holds them open for you.”
Only 4 percent of Scouts receive the prestigious award.
“We’re far above that average in our troop,” Moesch said.
Moesch’s son, Isaiah, and Bohm’s son, Griffin, are working toward that goal.
“Anybody who has Eagle Scout on their resume will typically get a job,” Moesch said. “Pat and I are very committed to help someone make Eagle Scout.”
There are 25 boys in the troop, which has outings throughout the year, including a week of summer camp either at Camp Gardner Dam or Bear Paw Camp.
“It’s always a neat experience for Scouts,” Moesch said. “It’s often the longest they have stayed away from home.”
The boys stay in tents and learn skills, such as building a fire. They also learn how to identify trees and plants, such as poison ivy. When Moesch sees someone with poison ivy he knows instantly they were never a Boy Scout, he said.
The Scouts also have a winter camp, where they stay in cabins.
Boys ages 11 to 18 are in the troop.
“What’s neat is the older boys are helping the younger boys,” Moesch said.
Since the boys meet every week, many of them have to juggle their schedules. Moesch noted that modern technology makes it easier for them to keep track of them and find out what is happening in their lives. Many of them are involved in other activities, but so are the troop leaders.
“All of us adult leaders are busy,” Moesch said. “Our Troop 32 is very involved in the community. Leadership ideals are taught and thrust upon these guys.”
Troop 32 meets every Monday at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Shawano. The meetings last about an hour. For more information, call Moesch at 715-853-4673.
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