Meet the MERK: USA Scouts help feed first responders
Scouts in Paramus, New Jersey, USA, operate a Mobile Emergency Response Kitchen (MERK) to help feed first responders and disaster victims.
It’s st
“This is a programme geared to engage our kids in helping and supporting the community while learning from their experiences”, Hill says.
When Scout volunteers have a good idea, they tend not to hoard it for themselves. They want to share it with others. That’s why Hill was so eager to s
“I could see this programme expanding across the country”, he says. “We have grown with the good nature of people and their belief in this programme.”
Hill says the MERK can feed up to 180 people an hour. That’s an impressive number and it was tested and surpassed on 4 July 4 2019, when Troop 138 and
“The engine and drivetrain were sound”, Hill says. “But the body was in need of work.”
And so the Scouts got to work. Using donated paint and supplies, Troop 138 Scouts and a few leaders painted the rig.
Inside the MERK and the traile
“Seeing the programme through their eyes has been a special experience for me and has created an incredible bond between us”, Hill says. “The memories
Story from Bryan Wendell, 13 November 2019, for his Bryan on Scouting blog.
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