A Naperville Boy Scout organized hundreds of volunteers to complete his Eagle Scout project.
Matthew Kaszuba and 200 friends gathered at St. Margaret Mary Church to stuff backpacks with daily essentials like clothes, toiletries, first aid supplies, and crafts to donate to homeless veterans.
“I had two grandparents who were both veterans, so it connected to me on that level and I thought it would be good to give back,” said Eagle Scout hopeful Kaszuba.
The Community Helps Out
Kaszuba said he was inspired by an organization called Backpacks for Life, which puts on similar events. The Catholic Order of Foresters was also a particularly big help with donations and volunteers.
“We do events called ‘Feeding God’s Children’ events all over the country. And then with the Backpacks for Life and the veterans that it’s supporting, that’s something we love to help out with,” said Katlyn Gerken, editor and fraternal outreach manager for the Catholic Order of Foresters.
Youth volunteers from area elementary, junior high, and high schools joined in to help the cause.
The group ended up filling 138 backpacks for the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
