Backpack Program

How How,

I connected with Mr. Caprice Brown over at the food bank. One of the Y-Guides sponsored programs is the Food Bank BackPack Program. I think we have enough wampum to cover the costs.

The BackPack program is intended to meet the nutritional needs of children during non-school hours, specifically weekends. It targets children who would benefit from nutritious meals. The BackPack Program is an additional component of the Food Bank’s mission of ending hunger in our 34-county service area.

Through the program, once each week kids will be given special backpacks that are filled with non-perishable food that can be used to meet their weekend nutritional needs. A typical pack, depending upon the Food Bank’s inventory, will contain: a protein (such as beans, tuna, soup, beef stew, peanut butter and/or soup), vegetables (such as canned spinach, string beans, etc.), canned fruits (such as peaches, pears, pineapples, etc.) and miscellaneous items, such as individual wrapped fruit juice, crackers, Multigrain bars, individual boxes of cereal, pudding cups, etc.

The six steps for a successful BackPack service project are listed below:

1. Talk about this project with your tribe. You can read or distribute the information above. Get everyone excited about the need to help these kids.
2. Choose a service project leader (s).
3. Call or email John Foister at 919-865-3022 or via email at jfoister@foodbankcenc.org or J. Caprice Brown at 919-865-3037 or via email at cbrown@foodbankcenc.org to schedule an appointment. Do this soon so that you have the date on the calendar.
4. Assign each member of the tribe to buy a quantity of the items shown below in the “Shopping List” section. Most tribes choose to assign each member the purchase of 50-100 individual items each (see below).
5. Send an email asking Big Braves and Guides/ Princesses to go shopping together sometime before your tribe’s visit. (You do not need to shop as a tribe.)
   
6. Show up at the Food Bank for your visit. It will only take an hour, generally on Saturday but other times are available.

You may be asking what types of food would be appropriate for the program. The basic answer is kid-friendly, nutritious, cost effective, nonperishable foods with limited or no preparation. A typical pack will contain:

• A protein (such as beans, soup, beef stew, peanut butter and/or soup [please, no tuna])
• Vegetables (such as canned spinach, string beans, etc.)
• Canned fruits (such as peaches, pears, pineapples, etc.)
• Miscellaneous items (such as individual wrapped fruit juice, crackers, Multigrain bars, individual boxes of cereal, pudding cups, etc.)

The most needed items are individual size:

• Spaghetti & Meatballs / Ravioli / Beef-a-roni / Lasagna
• Soup
• Fruit cups
• Cereal Boxes
• 100% Fruit Juice large or small foil/paper cartons
• Pop Tarts
• Pudding Cups
• Fruit Bars
• Animal/Graham Crackers
• Raisins
• Trail Mix
• Individually Wrapped Snacks

Let's see if we can discuss at date at the Dad's only meeting in August.

How How,

Looks like we have a mixed bag on the July 4 USA game and Aug 9 DBulls Game. Here is what I have so far. I guess we can get the new fetch-um, Red Thunder, to see about the 7/2 tickets since at least five of the eight groups can go. I also would like to have a Sunday afternoon Dad's meeting on Aug 16 to go ahead and map out schedules for, at least, the rest of 2009. Let me know if that date works for everyone. I remember that we had a hard time last year getting everyone together.

	7/2 USA Bball	8/9 Dbulls Bball	8/16 Dads meeting
Adkins	Yes	No	Yes
Fields	Yes	Yes
Godwin	No	Yes
Hager	Yes	Yes	Yes
Hemingway	Yes	Yes
Dillard	Yes	Yes
Duerr	Yes	??
Rinehart	No	Yes	Yes

Summer Planning for Year 2

How How,

Summer is fast upon us. Even though our official start of the 2nd year is in September, I hope we can get the group together before. Many of you mentioned a Durham Bulls game. I suggest a Sunday game. It's starts at 5PM and the kids can run the bases after the game. There are games on July 26 and Aug 2. Let me know if you have a preference and I'll work with the new fetch'um to coordinate ticket purchase (est $7 each).

I have a call into the foodbank to see if we can have the boys work on a volunteer project where they would provide backpacks of food to underprivledged kids. More to come on that.

Also think about a weekend campout either Sept 12 or Sept 19. We could travel to Linville Falls (bit of a drive) or stay locally at another camp. We could work through several feathers at the campout.

Rushing Ram - Can you reply to all with the Year 2 officers? Not sure who all of them are. Thanks.

See you at the pool!

Laughing Horse and Red Wolf

Spring 2009 Outing at Camp Seafarer

Men & Boys... Bear Rock and I had a great time at the outing this weekend! There were some amazing memories we'll remember forever. I took many pictures and a few videos, most including Caleb, but also many of others in the tribe. I have posted them in these 2 places. Please upload your own photos to Picasa to share with others!

I also hope you will post some of your memories to the blog here.

Link to Photos
Link to Videos

Carpenter Coyotes go Rock Climbing

A brave group of coyotes traveled to the Triangle Rock Club facility in Morrisville, NC to learn the "ropes" of rock climbing. The dads learned how to keep their sons from falling off the walls (called belaying). Cheers to the brave sons and dads!

Fall Outing 2008

It's been a long week of work since our Fall Outing last Sunday. I've been looking forward to posting this since then. I really enjoyed the outing and I know the kids did too. I'm posting a few short videos to remember the night by.

If you look at this as an outsider, one who has not experienced the Indian Guides program, you certainly might think it cheezy or even silly, that grown men would dress in a leather patch-filled vest and march through a cold fall night to watch a ceremony by a lake. But there was something electric about the moment. There was an energy generated by the hundreds of men and their sons yelling "HOW HOW" at the beginning of the evening's ceremonial procession, then becoming strangely quiet, while marching through the darkness, led by the light of a few homemade torches, and the cadence of the lead guy beating a tom-tom every few seconds.

Then we marched, and marched, and marched, down the dark torch-lit road (video #2), and then it became even more surreal. In hindsight, the quietness made the moment. If you imagine this same march with talking, it is just another stroll down the road and through the woods. But with silence, you think of things. You think about how rarely you experience silence when you have kids. You think about how fleeting this moment is. You think about how special this night is for your son. How cool he must think it is to walk behind these torches in the dark, with his dad.

We saw a lighted path appear as we came over the hill - a path 40 feet wide, and leading all the way down a hill for hundreds of feet, to the lakeside amphitheatre below. On each side of the path, the 2nd year Guides and Braves held their homemade torches - hundreds of them - in a meandering pattern of light. Silhouettes of dads holding hands of sons filled the view of everyone in the march. The silence was broken only by the crunching twigs and acorns below our feet, and the occasional murmur in the distance.
We had our handful of patches already glued to our vests. The eagle with a single feather or two, a canoeing patch, and a few others. They... had dozens more - each signifying this memory or that memory - that will unlikely be forgotten. Somehow, as we walked through that processional, you could sense that this same scene had been repeated for scores of years, and for several generations. I wished I could freeze this moment a little bit longer, and remember the sensation of how important this time is for me and my son, who will certainly be grown before I know it.

Once seated in the amphitheatre, the nation's chief came across the lake in a canoe and eventually lit the ceremonial fire with a large explosion (video #3). The kids loved that... and frankly, what dad doesn't enjoy an unexpected explosion every once in a while?
Then we had an exchanging of vows, for lack of a better explanation. Father and Son exchanged a yellow and blue bear claw. This is what I remembered. The father agrees to give up selfishness - to not be selfish in focusing only on his own priorities like work and hobbies. The son agrees to give up impatience - to be patient with his dad and realize that dad has other priorities to deal with. Ie. Sons, give your dad a break. Dads, give your son your time. I thought that was ironic, yet poignant, since it is often kids who are selfish and parents who need patience. But we exchanged bear claws and sealed it with a hug.
So that's my memory of the fall outing for our first year of Indian Guides. More pictures are posted here.

Camp Kanata

Fire Feather and I had a terrific time at Kanata yesterday. A big thanks to the tribe for all the food and snacks that were shared.

Hookin' Fish