What better time to teach Scouts how to follow the Cub Scout Oath and “help other people at all times” than during the holiday season?
Leadership of Cub Scout Pack 373 at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Tyrone wanted their Scouts to experience the feeling of giving this holiday season and, with the help of their Den 3 leaders, Dee and Juan Marriaga, reached out to Georgia Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries (GBCHFM) to sponsor children in need.
With the children’s wish lists in hand, Scouts and their families purchased various gifts and clothing for 28 children and teens in GBCHFM’s resident program.
At a recent Pack meeting, Scouts also put together Christmas stockings for the children and families donated cases of diapers, deodorant, laundry detergent and other essentials.
Pack 373 also had help with their holiday service project from several friends like Chick-fil-A, who donated 35 free meal cards; members of First Baptist Church of Cliftondale, who purchased Bibles for each of the children and packs of diapers; and Peachtree City Target who donated traditional big red shopping bags to pack gifts in.
Through this act of giving, Scouts reinforced the Scout values they are learning and were able to see how, even at their young age, they could make a positive difference in the lives of others in the community.
Pack 373 was founded in 2001 under the charter of St. Matthew Catholic Church, Tyrone, and is currently led by Cubmasters Norman and Arlene Soberano.
The Pack averages about 50 boys each year and is comprised of Scouts mostly from Our Lady of Victory Catholic School in Tyrone, Crabapple Lane Elementary in Peachtree City and St. Paul Lutheran School in Peachtree City.
GBCHFM, with campuses in Palmetto, Baxley and Meansville, in addition to several group homes and camps for children with special needs, is a Christian caring ministry of services designed to promote the spiritual, physical and emotional well-being of children, youth and families.
The organization serves children from traumatic situations who have a high need for care. Poverty, grandparents raising grandchildren, substance abuse in the home, human trafficking, extreme abuse, and more complex behavioral issues have created a need for more intense care and therapy for their children.
Through various donations, Georgia Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries is able to do more for the children on an urgent need basis than they would be able through government funding alone.
