Cub Scouts Help Prepare for Toy Distribution

by Jonathan Weaver

Still kids themselves, a dozen local scouts and their families are donating toys and their time this holiday season to support the upcoming Salvation Army toy distribution.

Thursday, Cub Pack #680 boys, along with their sisters and parents, sorted toys for other children – some the same age or up to teenagers – that are in need of support to celebrate Christmas.

Scoutmaster Michael Reed of Kittanning said this was the first time the scouts – including his eight-year-old son Hunter – have participated.

“This is our first time as a pack. We decided with our holiday spirit, we wanted to give back to the community in some way,” Reed said. “We try and teach the kids each and every day how to become better citizens, neighbors, friends, family members, and this is one way we can give back to the community – by teaching them the holidays are not just about getting gifts all the time

The pack also adopted a family with three children – two boys and a girl – that are in need this holiday season

“We’re filling that list – and then some! I had a couple parents that went above-and-beyond my expectations of what we could do as a pack. As long as things go well and depending how things progress this year, we’ll take two or three families next year,” Reed said. “I’m really happy with how everything’s going.”

Reed – whose six-year-old daughter, Samantha, also helped out – encouraged the boys to be a good example for their parents and siblings.

“With the young men in our troop, we’re influencing their family members also – we’re very much a family group, even though we’re part of the Boy Scouts of America,” Reed said.

Chris Savinda and wife, Nicole, of Ford City came to help prepare with their scout - seven-year-old Brendan – and three daughters – Kaitlyn, Erin and Lauren.

Four-year-old daughter, Lauren, helped Nicole decide on a Disney’s Frozen activity set and a hopper ball for their donations. The family usually donates change to the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign as well.

“We’re excited to give him the chance to learn a little about how to help other people,” Chris said.

Oldest daughter, Kaitlyn, also is going to be involved in a collection with her Girl Scout troop.

Valerie Wall walked around with five-year-old son Wyatt as they looked for toys for a 15-year-old girl. Wyatt eventually picked out a pair of brightly-colored socks – something Valerie said she would have also liked as a teenager.

The pair also chose to give an 11-year-old girl an ice cream maker for Christmas.

Denise Russick and children, Phil and Stephanie, are not part of the scout pack, but still wanted to help out Thursday.

Denise said she may even encourage the St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ford City “Friends of Jesus” group to come back as well.

“We were scouting it out to see what would be involved with this,” Denise said. “There are about a dozen of us, and we just look for things to do. We have a big gift box in the back of the church,” Denise said.

Stephanie – currently a junior Cultural Anthropology major at University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg - sorted toys with the Salvation Army about four years ago when she was a Girl Scout.

At Pitt-Greensburg, Stephanie has also helped in various service projects as well

“I think this is fun to do,” Stephanie said. “It’s so good that kids can get toys even though their parents can’t afford them. I like to help out – hopefully I gave them stuff they like.”

Kittanning Salvation Army Lieutenant Amber Imhoff remembers sorting toys as a child before Christmas. She said toys sorted by scouts Thursday - at a shed owned by an Advisory Board member in Rayburn Township - mainly were donated by high school students.
Scouts first helped separate boy toys from girl toys.

“They may not remember that it was the Salvation Army that they came to help, but they’ll remember sorting toys and helping some other kids out – that’s really what matters,” Imhoff said.

December 22, all toys will be transported from the sorting shed to the First United Methodist Church of Kittanning Covenant Center for distribution the next day.

“It’s getting close – there are a lot of tags still on the trees, a lot of tags to go out on the trees – but I believe it’s going to work out. We definitely got more toys from some of the toy drives this year and a couple more toy bins went out to area businesses this week

“I refuse to turn anybody away. A need is still a need, and even if the parent can’t show up on time, a kid shouldn’t suffer at Christmas.”

Daily updates about the toy sorting/distribution process can be found on the Kittanning Salvation Army Facebook page. Bags will be double-and-triple checked before final setup December 22.

More than 820 children are currently registered for assistance this Christmas with last-minute families still signing up.