Families appalled after Cub Scout pack’s treasured possessions are thrown in dumpster at southeast side Archdiocese school

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    Chicago, IL (WBBM) — A Cub Scout pack has called an East Side neighborhood Archdiocese school home for decades, and the boys and their parents were quite upset after priceless items stored at the school were tossed in the trash.

As CBS 2’s Charlie De Mar reported Thursday night, neighbors can always count on Cub Scout Pack 773 if they need volunteers or help in the neighborhoods.

But some of their most prized possessions ended up in a massive dumpster with no explanation or warning from the school or Archdiocese.

The pack’s pinewood derby racetrack was left damaged with missing parts.

“That was what we were able to get out of the dumpster,” said Matthew Novosel. “We’re still missing half of it. The center section? It’s gone.”

Novosel went dumpster diving in the parking lot of the Annunciata School, 3750 E. 112th St.

“I’ve been active in the pack for about 21 years,” said Cub Scout Pack 773 Committee Chair Lisa Sowa-Downs.

Sowa-Downs and the pack have called Annunciata home base for decades too – using a basement lunchroom to store items.

“There was no communication. Nobody called me other than: ‘It’s already in the dumpster. You better come get anything else.’”

But with no explanation, not only the coveted pinewood derby track, but also the pack’s flags and its history books were all thrown away. Their rich imprint at this school was suddenly erased.

“It was really upsetting,” said Kristal Stosich, who has two boys in the pack. “I want to know who did that, like who’s to blame. We really don’t know who’s to blame.”

“It looks very bad for the Archdiocese, you know, that they did this,” Sowa-Downs said.

The boys are making the best out of the banged-up and pieced together derby track. But the track is worth more than any dollar sign.

“One of the coolest things?” Novosel said. “My kid running on the same track that I had.”

Indeed, Novosel raced that very same wooden track when he was a Cub Scout.

“That’s priceless. That can’t be replaced,” Stosich said. “Even if it’s just, you know, something simple to them, like, it means the world to these kids and their parents.”

“The people they trust did this to them,” added Sowa-Downs. “These scouts will learn an important lesson.”

The Archdiocese of Chicago said in a statement that there is construction going on at the school, and that the items may have been accidentally tossed.

Still, the parents still floored that none of that was communicated to them and they had to find out by dumpster diving.

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