Boy Scout Blake Dalton installs a food donation box at HOPE in Lake Elsinore. Photo provided by Susan Thomas.Canyon Lake teen Blake Dalton of Troop 2011 completed his Eagle Scout project on Wednesday when he installed an after-hours food donation box at HOPE, a food pantry that serves the communities of Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Wildomar, and several incorporated Riverside County communities.
Blake held a garage sale in September and raised more than $800 to help fund his project.
The new food donation box will allow HOPE to receive donations outside of normal business hours. “The donation box will also help to keep social distancing by allowing for quick drop off, utilizing an easily accessible box outside of the building,” Blake said.
The 17-year-old Temescal High School student said his hope is that families in the area don’t go hungry or without essential items.
The food donation box is the final project Blake needed to complete to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. Only four percent of Scouts earn Eagle rank. Photo provided by Susan Thomas.“This project means a lot to me,” said Blake. “Due to the current pandemic, many have lost jobs and HOPE has experienced an influx of people who are in need of help.”
Blake is striving for Eagle rank, the highest rank a Scout can earn in the Boy Scouts of America program. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. Blake will go before the Eagle Board of Review upon approval of his completed project.
Blake’s father, Scoutmaster, and a family friend helped him to install the food donation box. Blake would like to the community and Joe’s Hardware for their contributions toward his project.
