Scouting for Food is one of the biggest community projects that youths participate in as Scouts. It is an amazing opportunity for them to gain leadership skills and, more importantly, give back to their community. Sometimes, Scouts are even recognized for their hard work and dedication to helping the community.
Troop 1321 from La Plata, Maryland, went above and beyond for Scouting for Food 2024, and The Baynet | Southern Maryland News acknowledged their efforts!
Along with the normal Scouting for Food Campaign at the beginning of November, Troop 1321 held its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive at Safeway on November 24th, 2024, and collected 1,337 pounds of food!
Learn more about this amazing event at Scout Troop 1321’s Thanksgiving Food Drive Collects Over 1,300 Pounds Of Food For Local Food Bank
Troop 1321 wasn’t the only unit to get recognition, as a Troop from the Potomac District also received an appreciation letter attached to a bag collected on November 9th, 2024. As mentioned in the letter, Scouting for Food is not only a way for Scouts to give back to their community but also allows others “the opportunity to contribute and be a part of this valuable endeavor.”
STEM Scouts Lab 239 in Fredericksburg, VA, is a beacon of innovation and scientific exploration for young minds. With a mission to inspire and nurture the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators, this lab actively cultivates a passion for STEM among elementary and middle school students.
Last year, the elementary school lab at Rocky Run Elementary mentored 18 aspiring scientists. The curriculum included Chemistry, Archaeology, Robotics/Coding, and Inventing modules that aligned with students’ interests, challenged their understanding of the world around them, and fostered critical thinking skills. Students engaged in a hands-on learning environment, conducting experiments and projects that brought abstract concepts to life. Dedicated adult mentors enriched the experience by providing personalized support and encouragement to each student.
My name is Jason W, and I am an Eagle Scout in Troop 1094 in Darnestown, Maryland. I really enjoy being outside and I really enjoy watching and learning about wildlife. I look forward to becoming a wildlife biologist one day. Back in 2022, I learned about the 
For my 2nd Distinguished Conservation Service Award Project, I began a three-stage project to improve the fish and wildlife in my hometown of Poolesville, Maryland. The first stage was to hopefully attract a new breed of ducks to Poolesville. More specifically, wood ducks. I installed four nesting boxes at a quiet pond in Poolesville last fall. While I haven’t seen any wood ducks yet, this spring, I was able to witness hooded mergansers (cavity nesters) at this pond and watch tree swallows build nests in the boxes.
My third stage of the project was a lot of fun. I asked my community to promise to let me collect their Christmas trees after the holiday season. A fellow troop Scout and I drove around town and picked up 30 Christmas trees in January. We learned as we drove around that local farmers also collect Christmas trees to feed their goats. After we collected the trees, I recruited three of my ice hockey teammates to help me wire cinderblocks to these trees. We had to drill holes through the trees, insert the wire through the tree, and then to the cinderblock. Otherwise, the tree will float and not sink. At the end of January, a few scouts, along with my distinguished service conservation advisor, Ms. Sara Holtz, my project conservation advisor, Mr. King, and a few members of his work crew, helped me drop 30 Christmas trees into the deepest pond in Poolesville (Here is my 
The Providence is the designated official flagship of the first international Jamboree-on-the-Water for 2024. It is a 12-gun, 110-foot-long sloop-of-war, which is a full-scale replica of the first ship authorized to serve in the Continental Navy and the first American command for John Paul Jones, father of the American Navy. The current Providence was built for the 1976 American Bicentennial and has been in various tall ship festivals, as well as movies, including two “Pirates of the Caribbean” films.
The original Providence was a merchant ship called Katy and owned by John Brown of Rhode Island, one of the brothers for whom Brown University was named. Katy and another vessel were the first two ships authorized by the Continental Congress to start the American Continental Fleet during the Revolutionary War. Katy was on a secret mission for General George Washington at the time, searching for gunpowder in Bermuda. After returning from its mission, Katy was renamed Providence and officially commissioned to become one of the first and most renowned ships of the Revolutionary War. The Providence is harbored in Alexandria as part of the John Warner Maritime Museum. Plans are underway for expanding Scout programs with the Providence.