Boy Scout Troop 133 and Cub Scout Pack 133 ...

Purpose:
To promote discipline, teamwork, and service to others among its youth members.

A structured program, parental support and committed adult volunteers help the pack to achieve its objective.The Boy Scouts collected pajamas and books for the children at the St. Barnabas Mission, collected cell phones for the Phone4Charity Project, collected eyeglasses for the needy, helped serve 500 pancake breakfasts to raise funds for the Overbrook School for the Blind, and served dinner to residents of St. John's Hospice.

The Cub Scout motto is “Do A Good Turn Daily.” Pack #133 incorporates these two principles into its program, with the expectation that the Cub Scouts live and practice these ideals every day.

The Pack meets on Saturday afternoons at 2:30 p.m.

Who may join? Any young lad, and any parent or guardian interested in helping the pack achieve their goal.

History of Boy Scout Troop 133 “The Buffalo Soldiers”

In the 1917 yearbook of Scouting in the Philadelphia Council, forerunner to the current governing body Cradle of Liberty Council, Boy Scout Troop 133 was listed as the one hundredth and thirty third Scouting unit to be established in the city. However, the troop was located at the M.E. Green Street Church. Boy Scout Troop 144 and Boy Scout Troop 146 were sponsored by the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas starting in 1915 as the first African American Scouting program in the City of Philadelphia. This was just five years after Scouting came to America in February 1910.

Unclear of what happened to Troops 144 and 146, Troop 133 migrated to St. Thomas prior to 1939. Documentation confirms Boy Scout 133 being at St. Thomas with reports showing that in 1941 Troop 133 was a vibrant Scouting program with advancement, service projects, and full participation in the Philadelphia Council.

Relocating from 52nd and Parrish Streets to the current Church location in 1992, the Scout program at St. Thomas came to a halt. In 1996, Mr. Charles Mitchell a member of the vestry of St. Thomas announced at a meeting of the Men’s Fellowship that he was bringing Scouting back to St. Thomas. He recharted Cub Scout Pack 133 starting with a few local families in the area.

Nearly four years later Boy Scout Troop 133 came back into existence. Since its reactivation more than 300 youth from the surrounding community have participated in the St. Thomas Scouting program. Today more than 400 youth from ages 7 to 18 have participated in the St. Thomas Scout program. More than 90% are non-members of St. Thomas making the Scout program one of the largest and most successful community outreach programs.

Over the years the Troop and Pack 133 have participated in the Scouting for Food program donating more than 100 turkeys and collecting more than 3,000 can goods for donation to St. Barnabas Mission, a homeless shelter for women and children located in West Philadelphia operated by Episcopal Community Services. A Christmas collection program for St. for St. Barnabas over the years has collected more than 500 individual toys and pajamas for children in the area.

Another fete of the St. Thomas Scout Program is that it was the first Scout program in Philadelphia to sell over $10,000.00 of popcorn in a single year. The annual popcorn sale has been a feature of the Boy Scouts of America. Over a 11-year period the St. Thomas Scout Program has sold nearly a $100,000.00 of popcorn where a third of the proceeds go to support the local Scout Council.

The Boy Scout program has conducted summer camp trips to a variety of locations. The troop has traveled to Camp Lost Lake in Alaska, Camp Roosevelt in Maine, Camp Flaming Arrow in Florida, Camp Ranachqua, in upstate New York, Camp Henson in Maryland, Camp James Citta, in New Jersey, and just recently the Scout Troop conducted summer camp at Camp Pipsico in Virginia.

St. Thomas also sponsored one of the first Cub Scout programs for African-American boys, for boys in grades 1st – 5th. Cub Scout Pack 133 was started in the 1930’s.

Today the St. Thomas Scout Program consisting of Boy Scout Troop 133 and Cub Scout Pack 133 stand out as two of the premier Scouting units in the Triune District of the Cradle of Liberty Council. The Triune District consists of all Scout programs in West Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, Center City, and parts of North Philadelphia.