Cub Scout Pack 170 Shows Holiday Spirit

With the enthusiasm and spirit typical of its members, the boys and leaders of Cub Scout Pack 170 have been busy engaging in numerous events. From fundraising to food collecting, from pancake eating to creating new den flags, and, as always, striving towards new achievements in their skills, knowledge and rank; the schedule has been full, frantic, and always fun.

Cub Master Mike Salvatore reports that the annual November “Scouting for Food” service project was a big success, with the boys collecting an amazing 132 bags of food, more than any year since the drive began.

 “This is something we’ve always done well with,” he said. “We have 146 boys in the pack; that’s a lot of kid power!” One of the major reasons the pack did so well with the food drive is that through the initiative of Sue McEmber a fundraising pancake breakfast was scheduled for drop-off day. The boys and their families dropped off their bags of food at St Rose’s church hall between 8 and 9:30 am, had a great breakfast of pancakes and sausage, and then went on their way. “The pancake tie-in encouraged participation, so we can thank Mrs McEmber for finding a fun way to boost our turnout for the food drive. To the best of my knowledge, we brought in more bags than any other pack or troop in our district.”

Aside from the general “Scouting for Food” drive, the pack gathered the makings for a Thanksgiving feast for a family. Canned goods, breakfast cereals, cleaning supplies, and a cornucopia of other holiday necessities were gathered, thanks to the good work of Suzanne Davenport and her den, who delivered the bounty to the distribution center.

Great fun was had at the November pack meeting, where the boys displayed their den flags during the “Parade of Flags.” Each den had a chance to parade its flag around the audience, and then brought it up to the Sandy Hook Elementary School stage for display. With 24 dens, the stage soon became alive with colorful and imaginatively designed flags, each showing its den number and designed by the boys of the den. Craftsmanship, enthusiasm, and pride were evident in each and every flag.

To round out the meeting, officer Schubert came to the pack meeting for a visit with the boys, and gave them a tour of the mobile crime lab the police force uses for on-site crime investigations.

The December meeting brought about the theme of holiday giving, with the pack adopting a family to sponsor for the holidays. One by one, each den brought forward their offerings, and by the time the last den brought up its gifts it was evident this would be a warm and happy holiday for some lucky family. Holiday songs (and the notorious “Baby Shark” song) were sung, and the spirit of the season shone in the eyes of all that attended. So from Pack 170, Happy Holidays to all, and a Healthy and wonderful New Year to everyone.