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Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

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32nd Annual Scouting For Food Drive!

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Cub Scout from Pack 250 in Silver Spring, MD distributing #SFF door tag.

NCAC kicked off the 32nd annual Scouting for Food on November 2nd. The Safeway Foundation provided thousands of door tags for Scouts to distribute to homes throughout our Council last Saturday. Our Scouts will be returning this Saturday, November 9th to collect non-perishable food items that will nourish the area’s hungry.

Scouting for Food (#SFF) is one of the largest annual food drives in the DC metropolitan area. Last year Scouts collected one million pounds of food, and this year’s goal is to top that. Capital Area Food Bank and other local food banks will use these items to help with its distribution of 45 million pounds of food – equivalent to 37.5 million meals – to 478,100 people through a network of 500 partner agencies and direct service programs.

SFF is held every fall prior to Thanksgiving. Local food banks rely on it to stock their shelves for the upcoming holiday months, when food demands are the greatest.

Items in highest demand include:

  • Non-perishable food items
  • Canned protein (tuna, salmon, chicken, peanut butter)
  • Soups & stews (beef stew, chili, meat-based soups)
  • 100% fruit juices (all sizes)
  • Grains (pasta, whole grain pasta, rice, brown rice, boxed macaroni & cheese)
  • Cereals (multi grain, low sugar such as cheerios, cornflakes, raisin bran, grape nuts, oatmeal)
  • Canned vegetables
  • Canned fruits
  • Condiments
  • Hygiene products (diapers, toilet paper, tissues, soap, toothpaste

Scouting for Food is co-sponsored by Capital Area Food Bank, the Safeway Foundation, and WUSA9.

Troop 58 Breaks Summer Camp Record!

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Ashburn’s Troop 58 Swoops into Summer Camp!

Summer may be over, but the stats are rolling in. This year was the Troop 58’s largest group yet to swoop into Summer Camp, as over 50 Scouts and adult leaders from Ashburn’s Troop 58 attended Camp Shenandoah in Swoope, VA in mid-June. Camp Shenandoah has been serving Scouts for almost 70 years, since 1950. Across the troop, the Scouts worked on 143 merit badges and attended 22 other classes like stand up paddleboard.

Sixteen of the troop’s recent cross-over Scouts joined in the fun and successfully completed the Timber Mountain Program. Troop 58’s Treasurer, Wilson Chua, also conquered a 1 ½ mile swim around Hope Lake earning his Mile Swim patch. Water-related merit badges earned by the Scouts included swimming, lifesaving, motorboating, canoeing, kayaking, rowing, and oceanography. The final lakeside campfire on Friday night included Troop 58’s rendition of TopNotcher – always a classic! One of the troop’s Life Scouts, Daniel Han, had such a great time at Camp Shenandoah and made such a good impression that he was offered a job at the camp.

When he arrived back at home that Saturday, he did his laundry returned to Camp Shenandoah the next morning – as a member of the camp staff for the remainder of the summer! Troop 58 is also prepared to attend the Sea Base Out Island Adventure in late July. During this high adventure trip, 2 crews of Scouts flew to Miami, FL, drove to the Brinton Environmental Center, and then paddled to Big Munson Island in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. They camped there for an action packed week of ocean kayaking, snorkeling (day and night), fishing, sailing, and exploring the ocean – all without running water and electricity!

Remember camp registrations are quickly approaching, be on the look out for the registration dates for Camp Shenandoah!

The Impact of Scouting on Ross Perot’s Life – In his own words

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Much of the news surrounding the recent death of Henry Ross Perot expectedly focused upon his business acumen at IBM and EDS, his two unsuccessful bids to become President, and his dedication to principles, performance and country. What few Scouters and Scouts likely learned or came to appreciate, however, is that, long before Mr. Perot donned the iconic business attire of a dark suite, white shirt and narrow black tie, he proudly wore the uniform of the Boy Scouts of America.

Beginning as a Cub Scout in his then home town of Texarkana, TX, he would later join Troop 18 at age 11 where he set for himself the ambitious goal of reaching the rank of Eagle Scout in 15 months, the shortest period of time permitted given the position requirements. He met that goal handily at age 13 in 1943. He would later describe Scouting’s impact on him in a video presentation and a biography, “How to Become A Billionaire” by Martin Fridson, by saying:

“The day I became an Eagle Scout was more important to me than the day I discovered I was a billionaire. Scouting taught me to set goals and objectives and gave me my first leadership training and experience, I keep my old handbook in my office to remind me of the principles of Scouting.”

Throughout his life, Ross Perot never forgot Scouting and he remained generously supportive of the organization for decades. His son, son-in-law, and all five grandsons are Eagle Scouts. His philanthropy and personal engagement helped fund Scouting outreach efforts to local underprivileged youth enabling about 12,000 Scouts in Texas to participate annually at no cost. More recently, he and his family funded the Ross Perot, Sr. Family Wing and Hall in the new Tillerson Leadership Training Center at the BSA’s Summit Bechtel Reserve near Beckley, WV. In gratitude, Scouting recognized Mr. Perot over the years with their most prestigious national awards: The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, The Silver Beaver Award, The Silver Antelope Award and, finally, the Silver Buffalo Award.

Scouting is still there today for those young male, and now female, Ross Perots of this upcoming generation. Our Nation needs more Ross Perots who pledge the Scout Oath to be dedicated in duty to God, Country and the service of others; to aspire to live the Scout Law – to be Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent. As Ross Perot’s life demonstrated, these are more than a litany of idyllic traits recited by rote; they are words to live by.

To find a Scouts, BSA Troop near you for the young Ross Perot in your family, girl or boy, go to: https://beascout.scouting.org/.

T.G. Motta – ASM, Scouts, BSA Troop 1717

STEM-TASTIC SUMMER FOR A LOCAL CUB SCOUT!

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This summer has been STEM-tastic, for local scout, Marco J. Martin. During the summer of 2018, Marco spent countless hours working on the Boy Scouts of America NOVA and Supernova STEM program and on Friday, June 14, 2019 all of his hard work was recognized when he received the Dr. Luis Alvarez Supernova medal, a plaque, a NOVA patch and a variety of congratulatory letters from his Senator, Congressman and County Executive to mark this momentous occasion. What an awesome way to begin a STEM-tastic Summer.

His next STEM adventure would take place as he participated in his first Cub Scout Summer Day Camp in Hughesville, MD at the Kings Landing National Park. He had an opportunity to present a STEM project to his fellow Scouts and complete the NOVA section: Uncovering the Past with the help of his camp Den Leader, Amanda Zimmerman.


Once Cub Scout Camp came to a close, he continued to explore the world of STEM by attending a STEM Fair at the Community Center in Alexandria, VA which was sponsored by an organization named Fly Minds. At this event, he was the grand prize winner of a STEM door raffle. He won his very own VEX Robot. Later in the summer, he attended 2 of 3 free STEM Day programs by Fly Minds where he was a part of team that built and programmed their own robot. Now that’s cool!!

Just when you thought his STEM-TASTIC Summer couldn’t get any better, a new STEM Scout unit was forming in Alexandria, VA which he became a part of. His Cub Scout Pack 539 was taking a break during the summer and his STEM Scout unit Lab 9941 led by Burt Wagner was just getting off the ground. His new uniform was a lab coat, disposal gloves and rubber goggles. The first three weeks his unit did science experiments that made Slime, a Bouncy Ball and Silly Sand. Each experiment required Marco and his lab mates to read lab instructions, gather the necessary ingredients and mix various items to get different results as the project called for. It was funny watching the kids learn by measuring and modifying the experiments to see if more or less of an item made a difference towards the end result.


Marco’s last STEM adventure for the Summer would involve the DMV NSBE Jr Chapter located at Howard University. He became a new member and membership has privileges. During the school year, he will be a member of the Lego Robotics team. Each weekend, he will have the chance to learn Spanish and work on Advance mathematics. What I thought was the coolest thing that NSBE Jr had to offer was Marco could talk to an Astronaut and get all of his science and space questions answered.

STEM summer days are over and Prince George’s County schools are be back in session. Hopefully, this article will encourage other Scouts to learn more about STEM and to see what activities occur during the school year! Have a STEM-TASTIC day!