Free Scout uniform drive Sept. 18 at Waterville store 

We’re excited to be giving out free Scout uniforms to kids in need at the Scout uniform drive on Wednesday, September 18 from 2-6 p.m. Hosted at our Waterville, ME store alongside Kennebec Valley Uniform Bank, registered scouts and those interested in registering day of can stop by to find a uniform and any accessories they may need. 

Together, the Kennebec Valley Uniform Bank and Goodwill Northern New England has outfitted more than 1,300 kids in Maine who needed uniforms through these drives. All year, the employees at Waterville Goodwill work hard to set aside donated uniforms. The uniform bank then washes and rips off every award badge by hand. 

Chris Bernier, the Chief Organizer of The Kennebec Valley Uniform Bank, started the uniform bank by serving Waterville kids, but now he gets calls from all over the state asking to help outfit Scouts in need. 

“So far we have served over three dozen communities in Maine with some traveling as far as Topsham, Pittsfield, Bath and Bangor,” he said. “There are many deserving people who can’t afford a uniform for their child, and that’s what this is about. It’s about changing the future, changing the next generation, and building a better citizen by helping kids be the best they can be.”  

Bernier has about 300 uniforms that Goodwill NNE collected for the cause in storage, ready for Scouts. The drive will also offer books, hats, belts, pants, insignia and other Scouting items. Sign-up forms will be available for kids who are not in scouting but would like to join. The only requirements for a child to get a free uniform are:  

• That they be a Scout (parent must bring Scout registration form) or,

• That they register to become a Scout at the drive

The program allows Scouts to trade their uniforms when they outgrow them or change ranks. When they give back an old uniform, Bernier will give them a new one. 

Any Scout hoping to earn a new patch can bring a non-perishable food or pet food item, which will be donated to the Pleasant Street Methodist Church Food Bank in Waterville and the Waterville Humane Society respectively. Children can earn a “Scouting For Food” patch through this volunteerism.  

Have a Scout uniform you’re not using? Donations are accepted at our Waterville store year round and are put aside in anticipation of this event that helps to keep uniforms in circularity for those who need them. At this year’s event, Goodwill NNE and the uniform bank expect to give out up to 150 free Scout uniforms to kids in need.