Dogged Pursuit Of Eagle Scout Rank Leads To New Lenox Pet Pantries

NEW LENOX, IL — A local Boy Scout with a deep love of all pets—and especially his own Mastiff dogs—channeled that passion into his pursuit of the elite rank of Eagle Scout.

Leo Minauskas, 17, of Troop 49, decided to focus his Eagle Scout project on developing pet pantries for local pet owners. Minauskas kickstarted his pantry efforts by raising $3,000 in donations, his mother Jeanine Saflarski said.

The Eagle Scout project process is meant to test a scout's project management skills and ability to lead a team. A slim 6 percent of all Boy Scouts attain the rank of Eagle Scout. On a larger scale, considering the entire population of Scout-age youth in the United States, that percentage drops to about 0.3 percent.

"He decided that he is putting two pet pantries in New Lenox, because with the economy, especially after COVID-19, it’s hard for people financially cover everything," Saflarski said.

Within two weeks of starting his efforts, he had collected collars and leashes, dog food, cat food, and kitty litter. The pantries opened at two locations—Cedar Way Vet Clinic and the New Lenox Township Food Pantry—last week.

"We’re huge animal lovers," Saflarski said. "My mom used to rescue feral cats. We’ve had mastiffs since Leo was born."

She and Leo were touched by people's willingness to help.

"People were very, very generous," Saflarski said.

"A BIG THANK YOU so much to everyone who donated and helped out to make this project so successful. We can’t thank you enough and our truly humbled by the outpouring of love and generosity."

The pantries function under the guidelines of "take what you need, leave what you can when you can," Saflarski said.

The pantries can be found at Cedar Way Vet Clinic, 2041 Calistoga Dr., and New Lenox Township Food Pantry, 1100 S. Cedar Rd.