Charleston Boy Scouts banded together Sunday to help fellow Scouts and community members affected by the June floods.
Earlier this summer, a local hotel donated furniture to Boy Scout Troop 31 and Cub Scout Pack 31 so the scouts could redo their meeting room in the basement of the Charleston Baptist Temple. However, the hotel donated much more furniture than the troop needed.
After the flood waters devastated parts of Clendenin and Elkview, the troop decided to donate the extra furniture to the Clendenin troops and the community.
"When the floods came in June, we thought we ought to do what we can," said Dave Flannery, a father of one of the Scouts and the organizer of the furniture donation.
Although the troops were ready to donate the furniture right away, the troop decided to wait until the community was out of the mud.
"People in the flooded areas weren't ready for furniture though. They were living in tents," Flannery added, which is why the troop waited until Sunday to donate the furniture.
A dozen Scouts hauled dozens of furniture pieces from the church basement to trailers in the parking lot Sunday.
"This is just something we're trying to do to help," Troop 31 Scoutmaster Jim Porter said.
With all the extra furniture, Porter said the Clendenin troop and Pack 144 will be able to refurnish their flooded meeting room and still have enough to help families in need.
Porter sent out an email blast to coordinate with families and the troop to pick up the donated furniture at a Clendenin Church Sunday.
Joshua Huffman, Cubmaster for Pack 144, said his troop's families were among some of the hardest hit.
His troop lost a few Cub Scouts after multiple families lost their homes and decided to move elsewhere instead of rebuilding.
Huffman said Pack 144 has received support from Troop 31 as well as other boy Scout troops.
"We're getting stuff donated from everywhere," Huffman said. "Boy Scouts is a tight group anyways. It's showing we don't forget about each other."
Troop 31 Boy Scout Thomas Flannery was one of the dozen scouts helping carry and load furniture Sunday.
"These people are in need. They don't have furniture-- it's the least we could do," Flannery said.
Flannery helped haul six or seven large pieces of furniture, and then focused on securing the trailer before it set off to Clendenin.
"I'm glad we could have a good use for it," Flannery said.
Scott Slack, committee member for the Clendenin troop, was helping at the event Sunday with his son.
"I think it's great what they've done here," Slack said. "I hope it will help a lot of families."
Slack's home was spared, but he and his 11-year-old son thought it was important to help the community in any way they could.
"We spent the first two weeks after the flood getting muddy like everyone else," Slack said, as he watched his son help load desk drawers onto the trailer.
Reach Laura Haight at laura.haight@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @laurahaight_ on Twitter.