San Juan Bautista Boy Scouts seek to help LA fire victims

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The Boy Scouts of San Juan Bautista’s Troop 428, founded in 1937, have once again lived up to the organization’s motto, “Be Prepared.” Already known for volunteering in the community at festivals and events and for close cooperation with the San Juan Service and Rotary Clubs, they have taken up the call to help victims of the Los Angeles fires by transforming 5-gallon plastic buckets into tools that can be used to sift through ashes for valuables.

“Steve Harris of the Service Club came up with the idea,” said Assistant Scoutmaster Michael Ponce. “He was involved in making these after the Paradise Fire, and they were instrumental in the recovery.  We’ve been asking for donations and kind of running with it.”

On Jan. 19, a dozen scouts arrived at their hall at 10 Jefferson Street and began working on the project.  To make the ash shifters, they first cut the bottoms of the buckets off. Then, a large hole is cut in that piece and covered with pieces of quarter-inch mesh. The mesh is zip-tied into place, and the piece is inserted back through the top of the bucket. 

When the people finally get to return to their homes,” he said, “they can set them down and shovel in the ashes as they shift them, looking for valuables. Anything bigger than a quarter inch will stay in the bucket, which helps with the recovery process.”

While the scouts did most of the work, including drilling the holes, adults stepped in to cut the bottoms off the buckets with a jig saw for safety reasons.  

While making the shifters is fairly simple, getting the buckets to make them is a little more complicated.  So far, according to Ponce, the scouts have raised $250, which was used to purchase 40 buckets. 

“We have an ambitious goal of building 100 of these sifters,” Ponce said. “Right now, we’re looking for wire mesh and zip ties.”

Ponce said that Home Depot in Morgan Hill donated a $50 gift card, and few people have pledged donations after the project was posted to Facebook and NextDoor. But he is hoping more donations will be forthcoming.

“It’s going to be kind of a rush thing,” he said. We’ll get these fires put out really soon, and they will move into recovery mode. So we will keep working with the chain stores, and hopefully, we’ll be able to get some response soon.”

Ponce is working on finding an organization to accept the sifters, and has contacted FEMA and the Red Cross for possible distribution to the crisis center established at the Rose Bowl.

Scoutmaster Aprilynn Wyatt said that encouraging the scouts to do this kind of volunteer work is part the organization’s goal to teach character and responsibility.

“It is all in the Scout Law,” she said, “which includes being trustworthy, loyal, and helpful. As a scout, they learn leadership, comradery and self-reliance. And while they’re doing that, they are also learning a lot of life skills.”

For more information about donating to this project or about the Scouting program, call:

Aprilynn Wyatt
Scoutmaster, Troop 428
(831) 455-6643

Michael Ponce
Asst. Scoutmaster, Troop 428
(831) 245-5689

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