Life Scout Charles Gilbertson from Troop 913 poses outside the LINK Food Pantry in Herndon during his Eagle Service project on Saturday, Oct. 31. Photos contributed
On Saturday, Oct. 31, Life Scout Charles Gilbertson, 16, of Boy Scout Troop 913 in Herndon completed his Eagle Scout service project at the LINK Food Pantry on Bennett Street in Herndon. The project involved trimming overgrown bushes and removing weeds from the grounds and replacing a ramp used to haul heavy carts of donated food items into the building. The project also included several additional improvements, such as washing the siding, spreading fresh mulch and painting/caulking a door and window. More than 20 scouts and adult volunteers from Troop 913 helped complete the project in one day.
Troop 913 is sponsored by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Herndon, and is one of 28 Boy Scout troops serving boys ages 11 to 18 throughout the Herndon and Reston areas.
Daniel Walter, a student at Herndon High School, has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. The accomplishment represents almost five years of adventure, fun, work and dedication to the Scouting program for Walter, a member of Troop 878, sponsored by the Herndon ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
During the process of satisfying the requirements for the Eagle rank, Walter has performed community service and leadership for his troop and is currently serving as a mentor to the younger scouts in the troop.
In addition to the traditional outdoor skills learned in Boy Scouts, Walter has a host of merit badges including those from Leatherwork to Citizenship in the World.
His Eagle project was to organize and coordinate a food drive to benefit the LINK food bank in Herndon. He and his team canvassed local neighborhoods and collected over 100 bags of groceries, which were distributed by LINK to local needy families.
Walter was formally presented with his Eagle Scout award along with several letters of commendation from Virginia political leaders at a Court of Honor Ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 1 at the local Latter-Day Saints church in Reston.
LINK is a nonprofit organization that supplies emergency food for those in need in the areas of Herndon, Sterling and Ashburn.
To find a scouting unit near you, visit www.BeAScout.org.