{"id":4819,"date":"2019-12-25T07:00:12","date_gmt":"2019-12-25T13:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/every-year-this-pack-gathers-to-assemble-christmas-care-packages-for-the-troops\/"},"modified":"2019-12-25T07:00:12","modified_gmt":"2019-12-25T13:00:12","slug":"every-year-this-pack-gathers-to-assemble-christmas-care-packages-for-the-troops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/every-year-this-pack-gathers-to-assemble-christmas-care-packages-for-the-troops\/","title":{"rendered":"Every year, this pack gathers to assemble Christmas care packages for the troops"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cub<\/p>\n

The theme of Pack 164\u2019s annual Christmas party hasn\u2019t changed in four years: service before self.<\/p>\n

Every year, members of the pack from Madison, Miss., gather to assemble care packages for military personnel deployed overseas.<\/p>\n

The Cub Scouts fill boxes with things like dental floss, gum, foot powder, candy bars, shaving cream, beef jerky and other essentials available at every gas station in the U.S. but harder to find in a combat zone.<\/p>\n

In 2018, the pack shipped 300 boxes. This year, they increased that number to 359, an all-time high.<\/p>\n

Each box also gets a handwritten letter from a Cub Scout, thanking the soldier for their service. Even though it may take a while, the pack usually gets a response.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry that it took so long to write you all back. We don\u2019t have a lot of free time \u2014 we have to fight the bad guys,\u201d U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Siegel wrote in her response last year. \u201cIt puts a big smile on our faces to read your letters, so please keep sending them!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Better year after year<\/h2>\n

George Fondren, Pack 164\u2019s assistant Cubmaster, oversees the event. Each year, he\u2019s added a new element to make it even more impactful for the Cub Scouts.<\/p>\n

This year, the Cub Scouts got to FaceTime with Mississippi soldiers stationed in Qatar. Cub Scouts and family members held up supportive signs and asked questions to these brave men and women.<\/p>\n

The Cub Scouts learned about the mission in Qatar, the equipment used and what it\u2019s like to be away from family during the holidays.<\/p>\n

Fondren also created a \u201cHometown Heroes\u201d wall displaying more than 100 photos of veterans or active-duty soldiers related to anyone in the pack.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had hundreds of these photos \u2014 from World War I to present,\u201d Fondren says.<\/p>\n

To make the display interactive, Fondren created a game. The Cub Scouts worked to figure out the significance of acronyms like CWT (Chief Watertender, a Navy officer who worked in the boiler room) or WAF (Women in the Air Force, started in 1948).<\/p>\n

Fondren also invited residents from the nearby VA Nursing Home so the Scouts could thank them for their service.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour attended, including my father,\u201d Fondren says. \u201cHe said it was the best day he had had in over a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Wolf elective: Hometown Heroes<\/h2>\n

In Hometown Heroes, a Wolf elective adventure, Cub Scouts learn about the heroes living in their own communities \u2014 people like police officers, firefighters and veterans.<\/p>\n

For Requirement 4A, they must, \u201cas a den or family, honor a serviceman or servicewoman by sending a care package along with a note thanking them for their service.\u201d<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to pack hundreds of boxes like Pack 164 to meet the requirements. Your den could work together to fill one box and send it overseas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Make the perfect care package<\/h2>\n

Kind gestures aren\u2019t just in season at Christmas. Sending care packages to our soldiers overseas can \u2014 and should \u2014 be a year-round occasion.<\/p>\n

For guidance on what to include and what to leave out, check out this article from the USO<\/a>. You can also go right to your nearest USO location<\/a> for assistance.<\/p>\n

What have you included in a care package for soldiers? Let me know in the comments below.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The theme of Pack 164\u2019s annual Christmas party hasn\u2019t changed in four years: service before self. Every year, members of the pack from Madison, Miss., gather to assemble care packages for military personnel deployed overseas. The Cub Scouts fill boxes with things like dental floss, gum, foot powder, candy bars, shaving cream, beef jerky and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}