Eagle Scout builds benches for food bank

Boy Scouts all over the world pledge to help other people at all times, and that is certainly true of Maricopa’s Tanner Bogle, a member of local Troop 977.

As an Eagle Scout project, Bogle organized the construction of much needed benches at the F.O.R. Maricopa Food Bank in May.

In the current economy, more families are in need of the food bank’s services, and the wait for food is often hours long. Bogle saw that people have no place to sit while waiting and asked if he could provide picnic benches. He quickly raised money for materials and organized a group of people to help him make the benches.

“He returned with some beautifully built picnic tables and a sign,” said Wendy Webb, executive director of the food bank. “I was so impressed with his skills and follow through. It is rare for us to get such a donation.”

“People were standing for a long time and had nowhere to sit,” said Bogle. “I raised money and got a group of people together, and we helped them out. It was really straightforward.”

Webb said the project worked: “It has been great for the people waiting in line.”

Bogle, who is attending college in Idaho in January to study elementary education, says that being part of the Boy Scouts of America program has taught him responsibility and persistence. “I have learned to be respectful of other people and how to be a trustworthy person.”

According to Boy Scouts’ Picacho Peak District Commissioner Gerry Hahn, only three percent of boys in scouting achieve Eagle Scout. “Tanner is one of those few boys who make it,” he said.

Boy Scouts of America is open to boys in first grade through age 17. Kids 10 and younger participate in Cub Scouts while boys 11 to 17 are Boy Scouts. To learn about scouting in Maricopa, contact Gerry Hahn at [email protected].

F.O.R. (Food, Opportunity, Resources) Food Bank is located at 19235 N. Gunsmoke Road and distributes food every Monday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and Thursdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. For more information on the food bank’s services, to make a donation or volunteer, call 520-251-0226.

Photo by Jose Albanil

A version of this article appeared in the August issue of InMaricopa News.