Tyler Juranovich | Staff reporter
tjjuranovich@bsu.edu
Muncie Boy Scouts and the Muncie Fire Department joined forces Saturday evening in friendly competition to provide Thanksgiving dinner for those in need.
The groups hosted Thanksgiving Throwdown at the United Methodist Church on High Street to benefit residents of Muncie’s homeless shelters. A full dinner with turkey, stuffing, cranberries, bread and dessert was served for free.
Matt Gossage, a local Boy Scouts leader, said the boys and fire department joined forces so they could feed more people. The turnout was about 325 people, and they expect the number to grow next year.
Gossage said the event helps the scouts learn what the right thing to do is, but there is a deeper lesson as well.
“Here’s my hope: if I let all these kids experience this, when they get older, maybe they’ll do the same thing,” he said. “That seems to clearly be the case, because they’re always excited to do it. I don’t have to tell anybody to come.”
Hoping that his scouts will grow up to be leaders reflects part of Gossage’s own life. He began scouting at 8 years old, and has been involved on and off over the last 40 years.
“When I was a kid, we didn’t do it nearly at this level, but I just have so many assets that maybe my scoutmaster didn’t have,” he said.
Some of the assets are connections in the community. Meijer donated a $100 gift card to the scouts to buy food, and Tim Underhill, a telecommunications instructor, is one of the assistant scoutmasters. Underhill is connected to several media outlets and has helped raise awareness of the activities.
Gossage said the rise in awareness will hopefully lead to more donations next year. After seeing some of the guests in light clothing Saturday night, he hopes the donations can be used to start handing out coats.
This is the fifth year the scouts have done either a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, but this is the first time the scouts and the fire department have teamed up and the first time they fed a large group.
Ed Bell, Muncie fire chief, said the fire department was more than happy to cook food.
“We had a great time putting all the food together,” Bell said. “It feels great to give back to the community.”
Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler was in attendance and served as one of the judges for the “Best Tasting Turkey” contest, a competition between the scouts and the fire department.
The Boy Scouts beat the fire department in a unanimous vote.
“Don’t sell those scouts short,” Tyler said. “They are good cooks.”
But what Tyler said he loved the most was two organizations in the community coming together to help out.
“It’s always humbling to see our community come together,” he said. “It says a lot about our community when we see them help each other.”
It was the sense of giving back and helping out people that drove Gossage to participate in the event.
“I do this because everybody should,” he said. “I want them to know that someone [cares] about them.”
Although the scouts planned to recognize homeless veterans, not many attended. Those who did come to the event just joined the crowd instead.
“Apparently there were other groups that were doing dinners, so they all ended up being spread out,” Gossage said.
Regardless, he said he was happy he could help them, even if all he could do was provide a Thanksgiving dinner.
“Many of these guys have [post-traumatic stress disorder] and can’t be a part of society,” he said. “And so if we can give them happiness for an hour or so, I am happy.”
Gossage also wanted the event to be a learning experience for his troop.
“I want my scouts to learn about the gift of giving so they feel the need to do the same in the future,” he said.
Although nothing is certain, Gossage said the scouts may have a Christmas dinner at the YWCA as well.
Sam Hoyt contributed to this story.
Read More
Gaining Water Weight: A deep dive into how much water is used to make everyday objects.
By Jessica Velez / 13 minutes agoA deep dive into how much water is used to make everyday objects.
Rehearsing Sustainability: Ball State theater professors describe sustainability efforts within the department.
By Cristal Mariano and Dillon Rosenlieb / YesterdayBall State theater professors describe sustainability efforts within the department.
Ball State Carnival Postponed to April 26
By Staff Reports / YesterdayBall State University's Student Life confirmed via Instagram the campus' Friday Late Nite Carnival was postposed to Saturday April 26 from 6 p.m. - 12 a.m.
