Patriot District Boy Scouts can be found throughout the year organizing a myriad of community service projects and events. After all, one of their mottos is “do a good turn daily.” This past weekend, once again, they could be found dutifully executing that directive, continuing one the scouts’ longest running traditions.

The Scouts wrapped up the week-long “Scouting for Food” food drive at the Burke Safeway Saturday, Nov. 14, collecting, sorting and packing thousands of canned food items for donation to the Capital Area Food Bank. The project, which is one of the Scouts’ largest and most comprehensive, involved not only nearly all of the 2,300 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers in the Patriot District, but also drew many other volunteers and even a community service group, as well.

“One of the Boy Scouts’ mottoes is to do a good turn daily, and if we didn’t do this, nobody would,” said Scout Matthew Honey, an Order of the Arrow member. “It’s important that somebody does it.”

According to event coordinator Cynthia Yellen, the food drive began Nov. 7, when the scouts distributed specially made Safeway plastic grocery bags to homes across their district, which comprises Burke, Fairfax and Fairfax Station. Initially, Safeway gave the bags to the National Capital Area Boy Scouts, which distributed them to each of the districts in its region. When the local scouts received them, they were split into groups by their scout leaders and covered as many neighborhoods as they could.

A week later, the scouts went back to the same neighborhoods and collected the bags that people filled and left on their doorsteps and group by group, brought the food to the Safeway parking lot. More than 80 volunteers, comprised of scouts, parents and even George Mason University’s Alpha Phi Omega co-ed community service fraternity then sorted the food and loaded it into large metal crates. Finally, employees from the Capital Area Food Bank put the crates in their trucks, filling two trailers.

“We were founded by a Boy Scout, and our chapter ideals are built on the basics of the Boy Scout Law,” said Alpha Phi Omega member Sarah Mabbitt. “So, we love doing things like thing this with the scouts. We’re here to help with whatever they need.”

Last year, the Patriot District Scouts collected 28,325 pounds of food for the Capital Area Food Bank, and while that success drives many scouts to participate year after year, the brotherhood and camaraderie that the event promotes is just as important to them. Many of the scouts said that in addition to the satisfaction of helping those in need, getting together with their fellow scouts and friends at events other than pack or troop meetings was just as rewarding.

“I’ve been doing this since I was little,” said Order of the Arrow member David Mathis. “It’s everybody I know, they’re all my friends, and we do a lot of good for people.”

Bryan Dieter, who has participated in the event for 12 years with the last 10 as a member of the Order of the Arrow, said that “it tends to be a lot of fun. Part of it is tradition, because we’re helping out a lot of people with the amount of food we collect, but it’s also a good chance to see a bunch of friends.”

While the scouts enjoy the event for several different reasons, their parents and scout leaders are just as fond of the event. They said that watching the scouts actively participate in a charitable project while enjoying it is what makes the event rewarding for them.

“It’s the most wonderful feeling to be around people that give unselfishly to others,” Yellen said. “These kids grow up remembering what we did and then turn around and do it for somebody else. It’s more than just a club or community service. It’s fellowship.”

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