Fundraiser To Enrich Lives And Lawns

If the prospect of lugging hundreds of pounds of fertilizer from your car to your gardens this spring is off-putting, help is on the way.

For three weekends in March, ten scouts and two leaders from Boy Scout Troop 70 will take orders for 50-pound bags of fertilizer to be delivered to your home in early April. Delivery is free in most situations, based on advance payment of minimum purchase.

The fertilizer is a top quality product provided to Troop 70 by wholesale distributors. A variety of products are available, including manure, general-purpose fertilizer (10-10-10), root builder (10-20-20), and several other types for crabgrass and broadleaf control. Any questions can be referred to George Herring at 270-8693.

Troop 70 will take orders March 12 at Stop & Shop in Sand Hill Plaza from 8 am to 4 pm; and March 19 and March 26 from 7 am to 2 pm at Dunkin’ Donuts on Queen Street.

Funds from the sale of the fertilizer will help scouts cover a significant part of the cost toward a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch this July, it is hoped.

Philmont Scout Ranch is located in the Sangre de Christo range of the Rockies, near Cimarron, N.M. It includes an area of more than 200,000 acres, with elevation above 7,000 feet, and with several peaks over 12,000 feet.

Waite Phillips of “Phillips 66” fame donated the land to the Boy Scouts of America in the 1930s. Scouts spend ten days hiking in the mountain backcountry, carrying all their food and equipment with them. A typical trip covers some 60 miles.

Besides wilderness camping, the boys will take part in rock climbing, panning for gold, shooting, and horseback riding. Most scouts who visit the ranch value the fellowship and sense of achievement in completing the backcountry adventure. The scouts who visit Philmont often cite it as one of the foremost experiences in scouting.

Your support of Troop 70’s fertilizer fundraiser will enrich so much more than just your soil.

Troop 70 is sponsored by Cullen’s Youth Memorial, and meetings are Tuesday nights at Cullen’s on Taunton Lake Road from 7 to 9 pm. Monthly campouts and a late July summer camp prepare the boys for adventures such as the Philmont experience. To be eligible to join Boy Scouts, a boy must be 11 years old. Contact Rick Camejo at 426-5881 or Peter Van Buskirk at 426-3014 for information about joining.