The boys of Cub Scout Pack 73 were disappointed when their trailer and camping equipment were stolen this summer from the parking lot of Magnolia United Methodist Church off of Wilroy Road.

But now, with some donations, they have a new trailer and gear, and they’ve been able to put it to good use, taking their first camping trip with their new stuff during the first weekend of this month.

Suffolk Moose Lodge 141 made a $1,000 donation to Pack 73 to help replace their stolen items, with their administrator, Butch Twiford, and treasurer, Ron Burns, presenting the check to Pack 73 and its leader, Chris Cunningham. They also received six donations through a GoFundMe page set up to raise money to replace the stolen gear, as well as other donations from people in the community.

“We put in a lot of hard work, and it was nice to be back out in the woods, and the kids seeing the fruits of their labors and working throughout the summer,” Cunningham said of Pack 73’s recent camping trip. “The parents put in a lot of effort, pulling our hair out trying to get everything together. But it was nice to see our goal come through after three or four months.”

Cunningham said the kids were excited to have new gear and to get out and use it.

“The kids were excited,” Cunningham said. “They were glad because, throughout the summer, they thought, ‘Maybe we won’t be going camping in the fall.’”

Cunningham and Pack 73 went to Johnson Lake off of Holland Road and got a lot of fishing in, made s’mores, hiked and did skits. The kids were able to meet a lot of their Scout requirements.

“It was a good camping trip,” Cunningham said. “It was the first time in a long time we didn’t freeze at our first campout of the year. Everything came together, and it came together nice. It was a good campout.”

Cunningham said he and the rest of Pack 73 were gratified by the community’s support.

“You see a lot of things that go on in the world, and you wonder what’s left out there,” Cunningham said. “But to see the community and different people that I didn’t know come together and have different people lead me in different directions to get help if they couldn’t do it, it gave me some faith in humanity. It was nice to see the community come together and care.”