It is important to start teaching the value and importance of service to others and the community early. There is a great opportunity throughout Cub Scouts to teach the boys as a group that there is value in their time and efforts in giving back to the community. Choosing a variety of projects, some that benefit individuals , some that benefit small groups and others that benefit the community at large can give a strong perspective about where the Scout is in the big picture. This can set the child on a lifelong pat of doing good for the community. I can tell you firsthand how rewarding it is to see the children blossom as they rise to the occasion with the projects.
All service projects for Cub Scouts must remain age appropriate. Giving tasks that are too hard is discouraging or just a burden for parents. The boys should be actively participating in the activities.
- 1. Card making and distribution to nursing home or care facilities. This is a two part service project. The boys should actively make cards and hand them out. These are tasks that even Tiger Cub Scouts can perform. Call a local nursing home facility and find out how many residents they have so enough cards can be made. Have a Den meeting where the boys come together and create cards. They could be signing pre-made cards or making them. Then at a separate meeting, the boys should deliver the cards to the residents of a nursing home. Just a moment to drop off the card and say have a nice day is needed. The Pack I am involved with handed out cards in a 60 resident nursing home in about 30 minutes. The boys may be a bit uncertain in the nursing home if they have never been exposed to a facility before, but that uncertainty will fade easily.
- 2. Collecting food for the food pantry. Each boy can collect a few canned or boxed food items, with parent’s assistance, for the food pantry. You can make a Den Challenge for which Den can bring in the most items or has the heaviest donation bag.
- 3. Clothing drive. Each boy can bring in a few gently used pieces of clothing to be donated to Goodwill or other charitable thrift stores or shelters. This is a great springtime project to do when people are already interested in de-cluttering their closets. Some charities, such as Goodwill, already have some programs set up to work with Scouts. Contact their volunteer coordinator to get more information.
- 4. Provide assistance to another civic group. If the local volunteer fire department is having a spaghetti dinner, organize the Scouts to provide assistance during the plate sale. Each boy can do age-appropriate tasks. Some could hand out drinks, others napkins or possibly hand desserts to individuals. Make sure that the scouts are well supervised and wearing their uniform.
- 5. Downtown clean-up project. Get on some gardening gloves and help clean-up a park or an area of sidewalks. This can usually be done for one to two hours easily. Make sure each Scout is accompanied by a parent or guardian while out in public for safety. See who can pick up the most or who had the heaviest bag.
Make each service project exciting and fun. Feel free to use incentives and rewards to allow the boys to associate the service project with something rewarding. Soon, the project itself will be all the boys need for reward. They will then be on a lifelong path of positive community service.
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