CV Eagle Scout Adds Free Libraries at Farm
Photos by Jennifer Petrick
Troop 708 Eagle Scout Candidate Dillon McVeigh and Tony “Chicago” Bennett of City Slicker Farms celebrate completing a Scout Service Project.
Earlier this month, three “little free libraries” and supplies of donated books were installed at City Slicker Farms in Oakland, thanks to a partnership between the farm and Scouts with Castro Valley BSA Troop 708.
Representatives with Acta Non Verba Youth Urban Farm Project (ANV) worked with the Troop on adding the freestanding bookshelves on February 3 to make them available to visitors to the urban farm.
Eagle Scout candidate Dillon McVeigh developed, planned, and provided leadership to others during his community service project benefiting ANV, a nonprofit organization based around teaching children about the importance of growing food at its working farm.
McVeigh said he learned of the site’s need during a summer job assignment at the site for FunFlicks outdoor movies. After gaining approval for his Eagle Scout Service Project Proposal, McVeigh organized a book drive through his school and Troop. He then managed a fundraising effort and purchased Little Free Library kits and supplies.
More than 250 donated books were sorted into categories focusing on children, nature, and science, with the remainder to be donated to Alameda Free Library. McVeigh then solicited fellow scouts and high-school volunteers to paint, install, and assemble the libraries.
McVeigh and the volunteers managed to complete the project on a planned Saturday that just so happened to coincide with a brief break in the winter rain cycle. The two dozen volunteers completed the project in three hours. The newly installed libraries stood fast through the next day’s heavy rainstorm.
There are five Scout Troops plus three linked Girl Troops in Castro Valley. To learn more about scouting, enter your zip code at BeAScout.org. All youth ages 11-17 are welcome. Chartered by Castro Valley Rotary since 1955, Troop 708 meets Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church on Grove Way in Castro Valley.