Shining a light

A group of young men at Briarwood Presbyterian Church — the members of Trail Life Troop AL-0254 — will gather at the church on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 1 p.m. to pack 10,000 nutritious, easy-to-fix meals for hungry people. The troop will send 8,500 meals to missionaries in Haiti, and the rest will be distributed in the Birmingham area, according to Brad Barnett, the troop’s adult Ranger.

The boys should benefit spiritually from helping others, according to Barnett.

“It shines a light on people who are not as privileged as we are, and it  helps our boys realize it's not about them all the time,” Barnett said. 

And the project is consistent with the Trail Life ethos. 

“We are here to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and this mission helps us do that,” Barnett said.

Trail Life USA is a Christian outdoor adventure and character development ministry for boys aged 5-18. About 70 boys, referred to as Trailmen, take part in the program at Briarwood, according to Barnett. This is the first year that AL-0254 has done this service project, hesaid.

The troop’s packing party is a Feed the Need event managed by Champion Group, a Christian-based fundraising company in Chelsea. The meals are designed for “extremely impoverished” people and typically include a carbohydrate, such as rice; a protein, such as beans; and essential vitamins and minerals, Barnett said. And the meals, which come in sealed packs, can be prepared in boiling water in about 20 minutes.

These meal packs are very useful in places like Haiti where access to electricity comes at a premium, according to Barnett.

“If you can start a fire and boil some water, you have a meal for six,” he said. “This is a meal that can feed a family and give them all the nutrition they need.”

 This generous project does not come cheap, however.

“Our minimum is to raise $15,000,” Barnett said. “We can’t do anything until we raise that baseline.”

However, the troop’s fundraising goal is $50,000, according to Barnett.

Meeting that goal would allow AL-0254 to complete their Feed the Need project and also cover some administrative costs for the troop.

For example, the troop would also like to offer Trail Life scholarships to needy boys, lower the group’s activity fees, buy some archery equipment and go on some more adventure field trips, according to Barnett.

The Trailmen are asking their friends and family for donations, and they can win camping gear and other prizes by meeting individual fundraising levels. 

Those who wish to donate can text “Briarwood” to 71777, Barnett said.

The troop is also looking for corporate sponsors to help it reach its goals.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for local businesses to be involved in the community and to make a real difference,” he said in the group’s news release. “It’s truly helping people who need our help.”

Troop 0254 — one of the church’s Quest Recreation Outreach programs — was founded in 1961 and has been affiliated with Trail Life since 2014, according to the news release.

For more information, including corporate sponsorships, contact Barnett at 936-8197 or AL254Ranger@gmail.com. The troop is also on Facebook @TLAL254.