North Kingstown Establishes US Flag Collection Point

By David A. Ainslie, USA Ret, Commander VFW Post 152 North Kingstown

North Kingstown, RI—On Monday, 26 June 2017 the North Kingstown Town Council unanimously
approved a resolution establishing an unserviceable USA Flag Collection Point and a proper Flag
"Retirement" Program. The collection box was built by Mateo Garcia, a North Kingstown Resident and
Member of Scout Troop 152 as part of his Eagle Scout project.

The collection box will be dedicated at the North Kingstown Independence Day celebration on the 1st of
July at the Town Beach at 7 p.m. All are invited to bring unserviceable flags at that time to be retired.
After July 1st, the Collection Box will be permanently located in the lobby of the Police and Fire HQ
building on Post Road.

The unserviceable US Flag collection point is the culmination of a joint effort between the North
Kingstown VFW, Boy Scout Troop 152 and the North Kingstown Police Department. The VFW identified a
need to make it easier for the towns’ citizenry to properly dispose of USA Flags that are no longer fit for
display. Aspiring Eagle Scout Mateo Garcia from Scout Troops 152 took on the project to help him earn
the coveted Eagle Scout Badge. He led his fellow scouts in the project to include the design, gathering
materials and building. Mateo solicited local area business, and all materials for the project were
graciously donated by Home Depot and Signarama of North Kingstown. He then reached out to the NK
Police Department as a location for the collection box based off its central location in the town. Chief
Flanagan loved the idea and graciously allowed the use of the lobby as the permanent home for the box.
The North Kingstown VFW, in coordination with the RI Veterans Cemetery, will provide for the dignified
retirement of all collected flags.