This Eagle comes with a ton of food . . .
Tinley Park Scout earns rank while aiding Together We Cope

Alex Rogers already knows a lot about community service. Now he knows about the tremendous generosity of his friends and neighbors.

The 17-year-old Marian Catholic High School senior recently organized a food drive for Together We Cope as part of his Eagle Scout project with Troop 380 in Tinley Park. He had the project pretty well laid out, with clear goals in mind. But the response to his plan exceeded his expectations when he ended up with more than a ton of donated food on his hands.

Rogers has been in Scouting for more than 10 years, and has an older brother who also achieved the rank of Eagle. A number of things drew him to Scouting. “I’ve always liked the service projects that are a part of Scouting, and I liked learning new things while earning badges,” he said. And, of course, there’s Scout summer camp with all the adventure that comes with that experience.

Achieving Eagle rank is one of the most difficult ventures in the Scouting program, and Rogers learned it is also one of the most rewarding. He said he chose Together We Cope’s food pantry as recipient of his efforts because it is a local agency that serves people from his Tinley Park community. “I also like the fact that this organization helps people in need every day,” Rogers said. “That impressed me when I first heard about them.”

Rogers had 500 fliers printed announcing his project and a food pickup date, and obtained food bags from Together We Cope to distribute with the fliers. He first held an organization meeting to enlist friends and other Scouts to help deliver the fliers and bags to designated neighborhoods and to his high school and church, St. George in Tinley Park. Later, they launched the flier distribution on a Sunday afternoon. A week later, Rogers and his group began picking up the food bags at all the locations where they left fliers.

 “It was pretty amazing,” he recalls of the October effort. “Bags and bags of food just kept rolling in, and I’m still collecting some now even though the official drive is over.” He said the response was particularly heartening at Marian Catholic, where teachers and staff got involved and urged the student body to get behind Rogers’ project.

All the food was brought to a drop-off site, where a Together We Cope truck picked it up. Rogers and his friends followed the truck to Together We Cope and helped unload it at the food pantry, where refreshments were given to all the workers.

Carol Ettema, manager of the pantry, said it is especially gratifying when young people get involved in helping their neighbors. “That brings some of the greatest rewards to us here at Together We Cope, watching youngsters reach out to give a helping hand,” she said.

Rogers is working his way through the college application process now, and is sharing the story about his generous neighbors with college admissions offices. He’s not sure about a college major yet, but suspects it will involve two of his passions: music and service to humanity.

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