Children of many backgrounds cheer along a wooden Pinewood Derby track in a bright church hall

Shepherd Park · Washington, DC

Where Shepherd Park kids find their adventure.

Campouts under real stars. A Pinewood Derby car they built themselves. Food drives on our own blocks. Cub Scout Pack 24 welcomes girls and boys in kindergarten through fifth grade; Scout Troop 24 takes it from there.

Join Pack 24 Visit a meeting first

No uniform, no experience, no church membership needed. Just come once.

Plan a first visit

A Scout year, in pictures

Not a class. Not a team. Something kids remember at forty.

The week-to-week is den nights and skills. The parts they talk about at dinner are these.

Kids and parents laughing on a sunlit wooded trail beside a creek — **Trail days** Rock Creek is our backyard. Hikes start small and get bolder every year.

Hands of many skin tones tying knots with red and white rope on a khaki tablecloth — **Den nights** Knots, first aid, fire safety, and a kid who now knows how to fix it.

Families roasting marshmallows at a campfire at dusk with tents and lanterns behind them — **Family campouts** Parents come too. First-timers borrow gear and learn alongside their kids.

Four kids carrying grocery bags of donated food along a leafy brick-house street — **Scouting for Food** Every November: bags out one weekend, collected the next, on our own streets.

Two children kneel to place an evergreen wreath at a white headstone on a frosty morning — **Wreaths Across America** December mornings at a national cemetery. Quiet, cold, and the kids ask to go back.

Scenes on this site are illustrations of the program, not photos of our own Scouts. We keep our kids’ faces off the public web.

Why parents sign up

Screens off. Confidence on.

Comfortable outdoors

Pitch a tent, read a map, cook over a fire, get rained on and laugh about it. Kids leave with skills they will use for life.

Friends across the neighborhood

Dens mix kids from different schools and blocks. The friendships often outlast the uniform.

Real responsibility

A Cub leads the flag ceremony. A Scout plans the campout menu. Adults coach; youth take on more each year.

Service they can see

Food collected on our own streets. Wreaths on graves they helped honor. Kids learn that showing up matters.

Two programs, one path

Start in the pack. Grow into the troop.

Pack 24 is family-led fun at kid scale. Troop 24 hands teens the map. Many Shepherd Park families move through both.

A circle of young children in navy shirts and yellow neckerchiefs holding hands in a sunlit church hall

Grades K–5 · Girls and boys

Cub Scout Pack 24

Small dens by grade, pack nights with the whole crew, family camping, and the Pinewood Derby. Cubmaster Sean Ponder.

Explore the pack

Teenagers reading a topographic map together on a rocky overlook above a river valley

After fifth grade

Scout Troop 24

Youth-led patrols plan the trips and run the meetings. Adults stay close and let them lead. Scoutmaster Sam Washington.

Explore the troop

The big four

Four traditions come back every year.

Dates for this season go to registered families. The public calendar lists what a visitor can attend.

Northminster Presbyterian Church on Alaska Ave NW: stone facade, red arched door, and green copper spire

Home base

The stone church at 7720 Alaska Ave NW.

Northminster Presbyterian Church hosts both units. The church does not run the program, and families do not need to belong to the congregation. Walk in, find the fellowship hall, and someone will wave you over.

Questions before you come? Write sean@shepherdparkscouts.org. The church office (202-829-5311) reaches the building, not the cubmaster.

How a first visit works

Cost, honestly

$165 a year to the council. Help if you need it.

That is National Capital Area Council’s published membership fee. Units may add modest dues for badges, camp deposits, and supplies. Assistance is available and asking is easy. Cost should never keep a Shepherd Park kid out.

Join Pack 24 How joining works

Before you write

What parents ask first

My kid has never camped. Is that a problem?

It is the point. Most Cubs start with zero outdoor experience, and so do many parents. Family campouts are built for first-timers, and gear can be borrowed.

Can girls join?

Yes. Pack 24 is for girls and boys in kindergarten through fifth grade. Troop 24 is listed as a boy troop after that.

How much time does it take?

Den meetings are the regular rhythm, plus pack nights and a few weekend events across the year. Families pick the outings that fit. Email us for the next public night.

Is this the church youth group?

No. Pack 24 and Troop 24 are independent programs hosted by the church. Families of every background and belief are part of both units.

All parent questions