Mulch Madness 2021

It’s been a long, strange year since the Troop’s 2020 Mulch Madness. Soon after that delivery, COVID-19 shut everything down, even in-person troop meetings. Troop 581 relies on yearly much sales and deliveries to ensure it can provide the best possible program to our Scouts so it was with great determination that the troop committee and its mulch planners, led by Mr. Mike Khalamayzer made sure that we could move forward with sales. Safety was of primary concern. They eliminated in-person sales and relied on Scouts hanging custom door hangars across the area, as well as online sales. When it became clear that state restrictions would not allow the troop to use the Church as a base of operations, they coordinated with the I-66 Express Mobility Partners to use the new commuter lot at University Drive. They implemented new procedures for serving food and secured generators, portable toilets and fire pits. The troop’s flexibility allowed it to have one of the most successful mulch seasons in recent years!

The culmination of our yearly fund raiser is Mulch Madness Weekend, this year held 12-14 Mar. The Troop was blessed to have some the best weather ever for a delivery weekend with no rain or snow and daytime temperatures in the 60s. On Friday, the troop’s mulch vendor delivered 16,000 bags of black, brown and red mulch. To put that in perspective, it took 16 flatbed tractor trailers to deliver it all. The yard crew worked hard to offload all this mulch while simultaneously loading vehicles to begin deliveries. Privately owned trucks pulling small flat trailers as well as a few of the rental trucks made runs on Friday, delivering over 3,000 bags. The yard crew stayed late on Friday to preload all seven delivery trucks so that they could leave first thing on Saturday morning.

On Saturday morning volunteers showed up at 7am. Delivery crews made up of Scouts, siblings and adults from Troops 581, 582 and 91 were soon out making their deliveries. Each crew consisted of a truck driver and navigator, followed by chase cars full of Scouts. At each delivery location, the crew would unload the right number of bags, place them wherever the homeowner requested, re-secure the truck’s load using cargo straps and move on to the next location. Once all the deliveries were made, they returned to the yard where the trucks were reloaded for the next run. Crews took this time to take a short rest and get something to eat.

All the while, organizers were determining the next delivery runs for the trucks. Typically, this central hub is run out of the church but this year an RV was used. These volunteers also ensured volunteers checked in, conducted temperature screening, and assigned volunteers to delivery crews or the yard crew. Once a delivery run was developed, it was given to the yard crew to determine how best to load the truck.

As trucks returned, the yard crew sprang in to action. First, the truck had to be cleared of any remaining mulch, empty pallets and trash. Adult volunteers driving forklifts removed the heavy stuff. The cleanup crew, consisting of our first year Scouts, including some that had just crossed over from Cub Scouts, removed all the discarded plastic wrap, re-wound cargo straps and swept off the beds of the trucks. The truck were the moved to the loading area where the adult yard crew would reload them for the next delivery run. Once ready, the truck’s driver would inspect the load, ensuring it was complete and properly strapped to the truck. Once ready, the entire delivery crew assembled and left for the next run.

While all this was going on, a dedicated crew of volunteers organized all the donated food and drinks so that volunteers always had something to eat or drink. Volunteers had breakfast, lunch and dinner (and everything in between) available. An ingenious use of the bus shelters allowed for the clean and safe operation of the Mulch Café.

While the majority of the mulch was delivered on Saturday, it still took another run of all 7 trucks and several smaller runs to finish the effort on Sunday. Afterwards, volunteers began the final cleanup. The very last bags of mulch were delivered to our Charter Organization, the Gainesville United Methodist Church. Trucks had to be cleaned, refueled and returned to the rental agency. Empty pallets had to be strapped to a flatbed trailer for return. And the lot had to be swept clean. Everything was complete by 5:30 on Sunday.

By all measures, Mulch Madness 2021 was a rousing success. The Troop delivered 16,000 bags of mulch. This is an increase of almost 20% from last year. The Troop also forged a great relationship with I-66 Express Mobility Partners. They were happy to work with the Troop and we are now working with them to identify conservation or potential Eagle Scout projects. The drainage basins, natural barriers and grass medians they maintain provide multiple opportunities for butterfly habitats, native plant and bird habitats. And most importantly, the Troop now has the funds available to ensure a successful Scouting experience as we plan for the rest of 2021.

Many thanks to the mulch planning committee, all the volunteers that helped throughout the weekend and our community partners for making Mulch Madness 2021 a rousing success!