One weekend in October, with the help of several scouts, I carried out my First Class Community Service project. My aim was to make and donate soup to the local U-Turn center, which supports the homeless in our community.
The project consisted of two main parts: fundraising and soup making. For the fundraising, we held a pancake sale on a Saturday along Sunnybrae Road. This spot was ideal because it attracted pedestrians from the cricket games nearby, and it adhered to regulations that prevented us from cooking in the park itself. The morning started slow, but business gradually picked up, peaking in a lunchtime rush that kept us on our toes. At one point, we sold so many pancakes that we had to make extra batter on the fly! By the end of the day, we had raised more than enough money to fund the soup.
For the soup making, we worked in the scout hall, where three large aluminum pots were needed to cook 30 liters of beef and vegetable soup. It took about four hours to prepare everything, with each of us contributing to the effort. Thanks to some careful budgeting, we had funds left over, which were donated directly to U-Turn. Additionally, the Le Roux family, who kindly allowed us to sell pancakes in front of their house, generously donated 30kg of rice to further support U-Turn’s work.
Despite the challenges of planning, I’m proud to say the project was a resounding success. It wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my fellow scouts, the Le Roux family, and everyone who contributed their time and effort. Thank you all for making this experience so rewarding!
Oliver Hewson
