Zach Markin, Eagle Scout
Total Volunteer Hours Worked: 180
This project was conducted in conjunction with Cornerstones to produce Hunger Halting Heroes Kits, which were boxes full of essential food items to help those less fortunate, especially vital in light of Covid-19. This project could be considered a pandemic food drive, centered around practicing social distancing and providing relief to people affected by the pandemic. Volunteers purchased or used pre-owned (unexpired) food to construct these kits at home in two sizes: one to feed 1-2 people and one to feed families of 3 or more. They then dropped their completed kit(s) off at an appointed Regional Manager’s house. The scouts from my troop were responsible for recruiting neighbors/community members and family to construct these kits as well, depositing them at their Regional Manager’s house for collection by the Head of Collections who delivered them to Cornerstones.
The project benefitted the Cornerstones organization which is based in our area, providing food to locals and people in our own community. Mobilizing the scouts of my troop allowed for rapid collection of food kits for Cornerstones that they would be unable to collect and create on their own. To finish the project planning after the proposal, I had to complete the informational fliers and set up several Zoom meetings to provide the information to the volunteers. I had to set deadlines as well as assign and check in with the Regional Managers to ensure that they knew what to do and how to interact with the volunteers in their area.
Observations and Challenges
Gathering kits on time went very well, and I was surprised with the accuracy of the food kits contents. Almost all of the kits were perfectly packaged and labeled, and I received almost double what my goal was. Despite the plethora of questions from volunteers, everyone performed their tasks perfectly once they understood what to do.
A challenging aspect was keeping track of the hours and money of the volunteers. The Scoutbook application for the troop was still a new concept and many volunteers were having trouble attaching pictures and logging their efforts. This was mitigated by my efforts to ask each person individually to ensure an accurate count. Perhaps the most challenging part was responding to every scout via either phone or email and ensuring that I did not miss any question or update sent to me by the volunteers.
Changes (from original proposal)
The most significant change was the addition of more drivers for transporting the completed kits. We gathered almost double our goal of 100 kits. A total of 189 kits were collected and it was impossible to fit in one or even two cars. Three other drivers were enlisted to drive and unload kits at the beneficiary location. The boxes were supposed to all come from the volunteers, but we had to purchase some due to a box shortage.
Leadership
I demonstrated leadership by leading the Zoom meetings and constantly answering questions for all of the volunteers. I spent time going to each of the Regional Managers’ homes to lead the collection of kits and directed the day we spent loading the kits into the cars for drop off. Once we got to the beneficiary’s location, I led the unloading and sorting process for the drivers and volunteers who accompanied us.
The most difficult part was being prompt in my responses to the deluge of questions directed to me regarding special circumstances or misunderstandings. I spent countless hours at the computer reading and responding, which became at times overwhelming and difficult to do in a timely manner, especially while school was still in session.
The day all the kits were packed and moved to the loading location in my garage was extremely rewarding to me. I was able to see the fruits of over 30 people’s efforts gathered together in one room, and take in the massive quantity of kits we collected as a result of my direction and leadership.
I learned that people need a leader to be very involved, as many people overlook directions and can sometimes be lazy. Delegating tasks to the Regional Managers was difficult when some of them did not meet their responsibilities or take their duties seriously. As a result, I had to take on some of the tasks that I had planned on them doing. A leader needs to spend a lot of hands-on time training his subordinates in order to inspire them and ensure they understand everything they need to know.
Eagle and Beyond – An update from Zach
As for being an Eagle Scout in college, the leadership experience I gained from attaining the rank has been invaluable for both social aspects and academic achievement. Being able to plan and execute a project, as well as follow through with such a goal and persevere has helped me on my field projects and in the classroom, as well as preparing me for our Student Archaeological Society on who’s committee I now sit. I frequently refer to knowledge I learned while completing the Eagle required merit badges, especially Camping, Personal Fitness, and Personal Management.