Central Catholic Senior Creates Food Collection Box for Eagle Scout Project

Central Catholic High School senior Aiden Westfall recently completed his Eagle Scout project, and he chose to help his fellow classmates in the process.  Aiden has been a scout for about 12 years, and he is a member of Troop 110 out of Perrysburg.  

One of the main requirements to become an Eagle Scout, which is the highest rank in Scouting America, is to complete a significant community service project that benefits a community in some way, other than the Boy Scout community.  The scout has to plan, develop, and carry out the project in order to demonstrate leadership skills.  It must be feasible to complete, yet it must also be challenging to the scout.  Aiden chose to build a food drive collection box to be used by Central Catholic.  

The school holds several food drives throughout the year, often around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, to help local community members in need.  Aiden felt it would be helpful to have a collection box to keep the donations organized.  He planned the project and asked different local companies for materials and donations.  He was also responsible for gathering volunteers to help with the project.  He delivered the collection box to Central Catholic at the end of October, but he didn’t realize how soon it would be used.

With the government shutdown and the suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Central Catholic’s administration realized that many of our own students would be impacted.  The school implemented a food drive to benefit families within the CCHS community, and Aiden’s collection box was immediately put to use.

Aiden is happy that his project is able to help at this opportune time.  “Our school does a lot for the community, which is why I originally decided to have my project at Central Catholic,” he explained.  “I knew that it would be in good hands, and that the donations would go to a good cause.  It makes me feel good that it’s being used this way, especially when I saw the donation box was full the weekend after I brought it in.  I know that there are people out there that don’t have much, and this is a way for others to help those people through the school.  It’s a collective project that anyone can participate in.”

Becoming an Eagle Scout is not an easy task.  Only about 4% make it to the rank of Eagle because of the hard work and dedication it takes.  Aiden proved his dedication, especially since he is also involved in many activities at Central Catholic.  He is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Senate, the Glee Club, Quiz Bowl team, Spanish Club, Irish Ambassadors, the varsity golf team, and the varsity track team.  

“The most complicated part of all the work is balancing it with other activities, such as school and sports, which is why so many people fail to complete the requirements,” Aiden said.  “It requires consistent effort over several years to meet all the requirements before the age of 18, including organizational and leadership skills and significant maturity, as a teen must lead a major community service project and navigate adult-level organization and paperwork.  The most difficult part is the perseverance needed to maintain the motivation and focus over a long period, which can be more challenging than the individual requirements themselves. 

“A Scout must achieve all previous ranks, including Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, and Life, as well as earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, including 14 specific, required badges for Eagle Scout.  Earning the rank of Eagle is definitely a long-term commitment full of discipline, but it is rewarding once the rank is received.  You’ve demonstrated to others that you are a leader and that you know how to perform different skills.  Many people look up to Eagle Scouts for guidance.”