08/15/2026
To the Scout and Youth Group Leaders and Parents,
Today I had the privilege of serving as the site lead for an Operation BBQ Relief off-site distribution center in Munster, Indiana.
We handed out 500 hot dog meals, followed by another 200 sausage sandwiches to families in the community.
But what I’ll remember most isn’t the number 700.
I’ll remember the young people who helped make it happen.
Yes, kids will be kids. There was laughing, joking, talking and plenty of youthful energy. But when it was time to work, they worked.
They carried. They packed. They organized. They handed meals to strangers. They listened. They adjusted. And they kept going.
Scouting talks about doing a good turn daily, being helpful, friendly, courteous and kind, and leaving a place better than you found it.
Today, those weren’t just words in a Scout Law.
I watched them happen.
Every meal handed through that distribution line was a small act of service. Your young people may have seen a hot dog, a sausage sandwich, a bag or a box.
The person receiving it may have seen something very different:
Someone cared about me today.
That is the part I hope these young people carry home with them.
Long after they forget how many meals we served, I hope they remember the faces. I hope they remember that kindness doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it is simply showing up, doing the work and helping someone you may never see again.
To their leaders: thank you for teaching service by giving young people the opportunity to practice it.
To their parents: thank you for raising young people willing to give part of their day to complete strangers.
And to the Scouts and youth volunteers themselves:
You did more than distribute 700 meals today.
You demonstrated what community looks like.
You practiced leadership.
You served others.
And whether you realized it or not, you made someone’s difficult day a little better.
There are life lessons we teach young people.
And then there are life lessons they have to experience for themselves.
Today was one of those days.
I was supposed to be the site lead today.
But I think I may have been the one who learned the most.
Thank you. I was incredibly proud to serve beside you.
