Volunteering can be about finding a need and then working to meet that need. This is what Loyal Carpenter, a Boy Scout and senior at Hickman High School did. After learning about a community garden’s need for a new compost bin, Loyal began solving the problem one step at a time as part of his Eagle Scout Project.
The end result was a sturdy 9’ x 3’ compost bin with 3 compartments that allows community gardeners at Worley and West Blvd. to stir the compost frequently and to easily move it to the next stage. “This bin will serve as an educational tool for our gardeners,” Health Educator Maureen Coy points out, “by teaching them about composting.”
Loyal managed and supervised every aspect of the compost bin: raising money for the building materials, finding plans online through the MU Extension, communicating with the Columbia Community Garden Coalition and his Eagle Scout council, building the bin, and supervising fellow troop 708 scouts.
Loyal says he learned about communicating with different layers of people and how to train and lead the scouts who assisted him.
What he enjoyed most about the project was, “The construction part and working with my hands—especially when it benefits others. Everyone was so excited about the bin and that I was building it,” Loyal explained. “My greatest satisfaction was seeing them excited about the bin.”
Written by volunteer Theresa Nelson
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