Blackfoot teen uses Eagle Scout project to help displaced kids

Many children in Southeast Idaho are taken from their homes and placed into foster care, often with no belongings to call their own. It can be a traumatic and scary experience for a child. So one Blackfoot teenager is making his Eagle Scout project a mission to help those kids.

Isaac Beck has a lot of Eagle Scouts in his family and now he’s hoping to be the next one, while also making a difference in the community.

Isaac Beck is collecting donations to make “care kits” for displaced children in Southeast Idaho. Many children are taken from their homes for safety reasons, or other reasons, and placed into foster care.

Isaac Beck said he wants them to have something of their own to take with them and hopefully, bring them comfort in a trying time.

“I got the inspiration to do this as my Eagle Scout project because we’ve had friends who were parents who accepted kids from the foster care system and they hear stories about how these kids have to put all their belongings in garbage bags and stuff like that, and they didn’t have anything to put their stuff in,” Isaac Beck explained. “It really was not a pleasant experience. This really was just to make it so they have a nicer experience when they’re being removed from their home – to make a tougher experience more gentle.”

The kits include a backpack, suitcase or duffel bag. Inside, it has one or two books and a stuffed animal.

The packs will be given to child protective services, who will give them to kids as they enter the foster system.

“Kids need to know that people care,” said Paul Beck, Isaac’s dad. “They need to know that they’re loved and that they do have something that belongs to them, and if it’s a backpack or a stuffed animal, then great. Then it’s a small part that we can help with.”

Paul Beck said Isaac has been working very hard to get this project off the ground and he’s very proud of him.

“It’s not easy to contact adults as a teenager and that’s one of the things that I’m proud of him for, is contacting people and getting the word out there and making this happen, which is part of the Eagle Scout project is, doing it yourself and showing that you have that leadership ability.”

So far, Isaac Beck has a big box full of donations but he said he wants as many donations as he can get so he can help more kids.

“The drive has been going pretty good so far,” Isaac Beck said. “We’ve gotten a lot of people to donate, it’s been great. We’ve had a lot of people give their help and support. It’s nice having local businesses also having us accept donations at their businesses and that’s really great too.”

The drive started Nov. 5 and goes until Saturday, Nov. 24.

There are two drop off locations for donations: Keslers Supermarket at 925 W Bridge Street in Blackfoot and also at Ogden’s Point S Tires at 807 W Bridge Street.

Beck said they need backpacks, duffel bags, books and stuffed animals. Beck said they want to make sure donations are either new or “gently used” and in good shape.

There is also a Go Fund Me page where you can make cash donations for Isaac Beck to buy more of the needed supplies. A link to that Go Fund Me can be found here.