Foxboro steps up with donations after firewood stolen from Scouts

Scout Troop 32 of Foxboro, Massachusetts, keeps a pretty packed calendar of outdoor adventures. They camp every month all year, and these Scouts earned more than 100 badges just this summer. To offset some of the expense, they split and packaged firewood to sell at the farmstand off of Route 140. Driving by the next day, their Scoutmaster was thrilled.

"They're almost all gone, we've been selling really well," Scoutmaster Brian Compter recalled thinking. "Little did I know, when she came over to see what money was deposited, there was I think a single dollar in the donation bin."

"We bundled all the wood. We left it here. Kind of disappointing we couldn't just trust people to leave money in the mailbox," said Scout Cameron Landers.

There's so much to admire about scouting - young people away from screens, spending time in nature, doing community service, and gaining life and leadership skills. So, when Foxboro neighbors heard what happened, they showed their support in a big badge-worthy way.

"There's just been an outpouring of support. People in the community have reached out and donated money and pre-purchased wood bundles from us. The donations so far are just shy of $2,000 right now," Compter said. 

The nearly three dozen members of Troop 32 strive to live by the ideals of Scout Law. And thanks to the generosity of friends and strangers in their town, they're really recognizing the "Scout" in neighbors all around them.

"Seeing the community be helpful, kind, courteous, and all these things just coming together, it's really cool. The world's not only doom and gloom. It's a lot brighter and happier than it might seem to be," said Scout Maksim Compter.