SCOUTING AND FOOD DRIVE ARE BOTH NEW TO ZALMA

ZALMA -- As school started this fall, Colton Bailey told his mother he wished Zalma had a Boy Scout pack. This rural Bollinger County community had no Boy Scouting programs.

Less than two months later, in a surprising show of support for Scouting, Zalma has five dens, 31 boys and adult leadership for all. Zalma has just 58 boys in grades one through five who would be eligible to participate.

Saturday, the new Scouts joined hundreds of other boys throughout the region to distribute Scouting for Food bags. They will return Nov. 21 to collect bags filled with canned goods. Scouting for Food collects canned goods to stock local food pantries.

Part of the appeal of the program is its support of local projects. But Zalma had no food pantry. In order for the Scouts to join the project, they started a food pantry in partnership with Zalma General Baptist Church.

"This has been wonderfully overwhelming," said Faith Bailey, Colton's mother, who jump-started the project. "I thought we would be lucky to get 10 boys interested enough to get it started."

She contacted Tom Turpin, district Scout executive, and learned what it would take to get Boy Scouting started. She sent out interest flyers and got a good response, so Bailey and Turpin scheduled a School Night Oct. 22.

"We had 27 boys and their families attend," Bailey said. "It wasn't just one parent, it was whole families. We just weren't prepared for this kind of response."

More boys have since joined.

Zalma School Pack 245 was organized, with Bailey as Cubmaster. A Scout pack is divided into dens with a maximum of eight boys.

"I was a little nervous with as many boys as were interested," Bailey said. "I was afraid I'd be the only leader. I would have been meeting every night."

But just days after the boys signed up, adult leaders began stepping forward. Bailey is a den leader for her son's third-grade Bear Cubs. "But that was my whole intention all along," she said.

The pack had its first activity, a Halloween hayride, then organized its first fund raiser. One of the Scout parents owns a Christmas tree farm and is donating half the profits.

"Last week we added the Scouting for Food," Bailey said.

She learned that Zalma General Baptist Church operated a tiny food pantry for members of its congregation. She asked if the church would be interested in expanding the operation to serve the whole community. Church members agreed.

Bailey teaches at Zalma High School. As word about the Scouting adventure and new food pantry traveled through the school, school Superintendent Darryl Sauer decided the school should join in.

In order to give the food pantry a solid start, he is organizing a class-to-class competition from kindergarten through high school to collect canned goods.

And Zalma Scouts, based on their record of rapid success, are confident their Scouting for Food activity will net lots of food.

"I've had several people say this will be a great opportunity to go through cabinets. Everything I've heard is very positive," Bailey said. "I look for several hundred cans."

Because Zalma is a rural area, Scouts were unable to go door-to-door like their counterparts in town. Instead Scouts took home the bags and went with their families to deliver the bags. Families will return next week to collect the food.

This plan emphasizes what Scouting is about, Bailey said.

"It's drawing families together," she said. "The Scouting movement is family oriented. I've got parents calling me and thanking me for getting this started. Boys who never wanted to do anything with their parents are excited about joining in. They want their parents to participate. And the boys feel they are accomplishing something."

For information about the food drive, call the Boy Scout office at (573) 335-3346.