News

Jul 05, 2023

Scouts at Jamboree come together to assemble 5,000 "flood buckets" to send across West Virginia

GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — A total of 15,000 scouts are coming together to help one flood relief effort– the Mountain State’s very own. During the course of the 2023 National Scout Jamboree, which is now on

GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — A total of 15,000 scouts are coming together to help one flood relief effort– the Mountain State’s very own.

During the course of the 2023 National Scout Jamboree, which is now on its second week at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County, the scouts have been undertaking a large-scale “flood bucket” cleaning kit service project.

The project involves the assembly of at least 5,000 cleaning kits to be dispersed to flood-threatened areas across West Virginia.

The project was organized by volunteer Scouters with the help of the Disaster Response Ministries of the West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

“They’re filled with all kinds of cleaning supplies that would allow people to go into their homes after a natural disaster, even if it was some kind of chemical type thing that was in the air and they needed to sanitize their homes they could do it with that, but a lot of times it has do with flooding,” West Virginia Methodist Church Disaster Response Coordinator, Pastor Jim McCune told MetroNews.

The 5-gallon buckets consist specifically of a total of 15 items to serve as first-aid clean-up resources, ranging from rubber gloves to scrub brushes and scouring pads.

The completed kits were expected to be valued at $375,000, all of which goes to helping flood victims begin the restoration process of their homes and belongings.

West Virginia is historically and continues to be a state most significantly impacted by flooding. McCune said while stocking these “flood buckets” may be a novel idea to some of the out-of-state scouts who not as commonly see the effects of flooding in their areas, he said it’s about coming together as one to help others regardless of fully understanding the magnitude of the situation.

McCune also went on to say that the project is about cultivating more young people to carry forth that mission of helping others into the future.

“We keep reminding the scouts that this is about hope, when people see these coming they’re like, they are going to turn the corner, they’re going to make it, because outsiders are coming in to help,” said McCune.

“We know we need a new generation coming up that’s going to have strong backs and able bodies and will be able to learn this, and also become a part of that in the community as they become adults.”

Two of the scouts MetroNews got to catch up with who were helping with the project at the time was brothers Zackary and Mason Sheaffer of Troop 3340 out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

“It feels good because you know you’re helping someone out for the future,” Mason Sheaffer said.

“Yeah, and even if they’re not in trouble right now, a disaster could happen in like a really long time and this could still help them,” added Zackary Sheaffer.

Boy Scouts of America coordinators for the flood relief initiative said the drive to complete community service projects like this one has been an inherent part of BSA’s promise to West Virginia since obtaining the Summit in 2009.

McCune said that of the 5,000 buckets expected to be assembled during the Jamboree, some were to be sent to a warehouse in Beaver, West Virginia and some were going to be sent to the West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WV VOAD) warehouse in Belle, where they will be stored until they are needed.

McCune also said they network with out-of-state groups to assist with flood recovery efforts outside of West Virginia as well, where some of the buckets could be sent.