Upcoming Eagle Project Food Drive

Nancie Huang-Ball, Opinion Editor|Mar 23, 2022

The food drive itself will take place all next week, from March 28 to April 1. Food donations can be dropped off at Room 1304 or at 2218 Faraday avenue, suite 110.

The ‘Eagle Project’ in Scouts of America is one of the last requirements to fulfill the ‘Eagle Scout’ rank, the highest achievement a Boy Scout can receive. The project is similar to Sage Creek’s Genius Project, where students take on a passion project to strengthen leadership skills and help the community in some way.  

Carlsbad senior Connor Lynaugh and Sage Creek senior Adam Secades work on emailing contacts to spread the word about the food drive. Secades is a fellow Boy Scout and friend of Lynaugh’s who’s also done his Eagle Project, so he decided to help out. (Photo Courtesy of Connor Lynaugh)

Carlsbad High School senior and Boy Scout Connor Lynaugh has decided to make his Eagle Project a food drive. The event will be partnering Scouts of America with the North County Food Bank to raise food donations to improve the situation right now as food prices rise, a profound passion of his.

Food drives are incredibly important for communities. Not only do they help food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens stock up on food, but they raise awareness about hunger, a problem many do not realize is present in every community, even their own.

Food drives have caught Lynaugh’s eye for years and continue to stay connected with him because of their significance.

“The food drive was just something that I personally saw on the news a couple of years ago and continued to see pop up,” Lynaugh said. “Almost every year now [it] becomes more important, right? First was the pandemic, now it’s more so food prices. It’s definitely something that I thought [about] once more and I knew I needed to take action.”

The marketing team works on making digital flyers and a social media page on Instagram and Nextdoor. They’ve largely been using Canva, a graphic design website, and have realized that they’ve become very good at it. (Photo Courtesy of Connor Lynaugh)

Several friends have also been helping Lynaugh with his Eagle Project. A couple of weeks ago he held a marketing committee where they made flyers and figured out how to reach out for advertisements.

These friends have known him from other programs such as Speech and Debate, and apart from noting their improvement using Canva, they have also seen Connor’s development throughout the years. 

Carlsbad High School senior and Girl Scout Raina Seth works on the marketing team and notes Connor’s dedication that has stemmed from being a part of Boy Scouts.

“The fact that Connor is still [persevering with this project] despite all of the other things that he has going on in his life and after he’s committed to college shows that Boy Scouts has really had an impact on how much he wants to help the community and that this project is actually special to him,” Seth said.

The team is looking forward to making an improvement in the community, something they’ve greatly valued throughout their high school experience.

Liz Gala and her son create posters to put around the community. Apart from digital advertising through social media and flyers, physical posters are another medium the team decided to promote the food drive with. (Photo Courtesy of Connor Lynaugh)

“We really, really try to [make a positive impact] as much as we can through a lot of different avenues,” Seth said. “Just having another opportunity to be involved in our community and to do something good is kind of fun.”

Their process of advertising for the food drive has been an enjoyable experience. Katelyn Lewis, another Carlsbad High School senior and fellow Speech and Debate teammate, realizes how skills gained from virtual learning have been useful.

“Especially because of the pandemic with all the digital ways that we’ve learned to communicate with each other, learning to find those ways to promote this project and getting to explore them a little more has been fun,” Lewis said.

Lynaugh’s experience with Scouts of America has even influenced his perspective of the world and his personal mindset, which is especially brought out because of the various badges required in Boy Scouts.

Red donation bins are the official donation bins from the North County Food Bank. They will be stationed at locations around Carlsbad for donations and various smaller cardboard boxes will be set alongside them. (Photo Courtesy of Connor Lynaugh)

“It’s definitely the first place that kind of got me thinking about my community,” Lynaugh said. “Not only about the tight-knit group of individuals around me and how my own actions and ability influence people around me, but also how I have a role in the environment [such as] when we go hiking.”

Lynaugh’s project is one that encompasses the community as a whole, as he will be dropping off bins at locations in the city to raise donations apart from having a spot to donate at Carlsbad and Sage Creek High School. 

The food drive itself will take place all next week, from March 28 to April 1. Food donations can be dropped off at Room 1304 or at 2218 Faraday avenue, suite 110. Canned foods such as canned chicken, tuna, beans, soup, fruit or vegetables are most needed, along with various dried foods. A full list can be found here.

The donations from the food drive will be brought to the North County Food Bank where they’ll be weighed and distributed. Lynaugh hopes to raise anywhere from 200 to 300 donations as a flat goal that would be a substantial benefit to the community, but he’d be proud with any result regardless. 

For more details, the project’s Instagram account provides a PDF of what food items are most needed and a digital flyer that contains the food drive information.