· RPG · 7 min read
Adventure 2: The Community Kitchen
The second adventure in our Scout RPG series. The community kitchen needs help preparing for their biggest meal of the year - can your scouts rise to the challenge?
Adventure Overview
Duration: 45-60 minutes Players: 2-6 scouts plus Guide Theme: Service, Teamwork, Problem-Solving Best For: All experience levels, emphasizes Kind attribute
Download
Download the Complete Adventures PDF - Includes all three adventures with printable handouts.
The Premise
The Community Kitchen serves free meals to families in need. Tomorrow is their biggest event of the year—the Fall Harvest Dinner—but things have gone wrong! Their main volunteer coordinator got sick, deliveries are delayed, and they’re running out of time. The scouts have been asked to help save the day.
The Goal
Help the Community Kitchen prepare for the Fall Harvest Dinner by solving problems, organizing volunteers, and getting everything ready before doors open at 5 PM.
What’s at Stake
Over 200 families are counting on this meal. Many have been looking forward to it all month. If the dinner doesn’t happen, a lot of people will be disappointed—and hungry.
Setup
Before You Begin
- Explain what a community kitchen/food pantry does
- Discuss why service projects matter
- Tell scouts they’re volunteering for the day
- Emphasize teamwork and kindness as key skills
Setting the Scene
Read or paraphrase the following:
“You arrive at the Community Kitchen on Saturday morning. Mrs. Chen, the director, meets you at the door looking frazzled. ‘Thank goodness you’re here! Everything’s going wrong. Marcus, our volunteer coordinator, has the flu. The vegetable delivery is late. The dining room is a mess from last night’s event. And we have—’ she checks her watch ‘—six hours until 200 people arrive for dinner. Can you help?‘”
Act 1: The Call to Adventure
Scene 1: Assessing the Situation
Mrs. Chen leads you through the kitchen, showing you what needs to be done.
The Problems:
- The dining room needs to be cleaned and set up (tables, chairs, decorations)
- The vegetable delivery truck is stuck—the driver is lost
- Other volunteers are confused about what to do without Marcus
- The dessert team needs help with a LOT of cookie dough
Player Choice: Ask the scouts which problem they want to tackle first. All need to be solved, but they choose the order.
Scene 2: Forming a Plan
Challenge: Organizing the Team (Kind check)
- Help the confused volunteers understand their roles
- Target: 7+
- Success: Volunteers perk up and start working with purpose
- Partial: Most volunteers understand, but one or two are still confused
- Setback: A volunteer gets upset—need to calm them down first
Tip: This is a great chance for the Kind attribute to shine early!
Act 2: Challenges Along the Way
Run these scenes in whatever order the players choose.
Scene 3: The Lost Delivery
The vegetable truck driver called—he’s lost somewhere in the neighborhood and running very late.
“Mr. Patterson, the driver, sounds frustrated on the phone. ‘My GPS sent me in circles! I’m parked by a blue water tower, but I don’t know how to get to you from here.‘”
Challenge: Navigation Help (Smart check)
- Give Mr. Patterson directions or figure out where he is
- Target: 7+
- Success: Clear directions—truck arrives in 15 minutes!
- Partial: Somewhat helpful—truck arrives, but it takes 30 minutes
- Setback: Wrong directions at first, but figure it out together
Teamwork Option: Someone who knows the neighborhood can help (+2 bonus)
Scene 4: The Dining Room Disaster
The dining room is a mess! Tables are scattered, chairs are stacked wrong, and there are decorations everywhere from a birthday party the night before.
“The dining room looks like a party exploded in it. Balloons, streamers, cake crumbs, and plastic cups cover every surface. It all needs to be cleaned and set up for tonight’s dinner—20 round tables, 8 chairs each, with a fall centerpiece.”
Challenge: Heavy Lifting (Strong check)
- Move tables into position and stack chairs correctly
- Target: 7+
- Success: Tables and chairs arranged perfectly
- Partial: Good layout, but one table is wobbly
- Setback: A table leg breaks (can be fixed with duct tape!)
Challenge: Decoration Detail (Smart check)
- Remove old decorations and set up fall centerpieces
- Target: 7+
- Success: Beautiful autumn setup
- Partial: Looks good, missed a few old balloons
- Setback: A centerpiece tips over (candles unlit, no danger!)
Teamwork Opportunity: This is a big job—encourage working together!
Scene 5: Cookie Assembly Line
The dessert team needs help turning a HUGE batch of cookie dough into actual cookies.
“Maria, the dessert coordinator, gestures at an enormous bowl of dough. ‘We need 400 cookies by 4 PM. That’s… a lot of cookies. The dough is ready, but we need hands!‘”
Challenge: Cookie Production (Group check—everyone rolls!)
- Roll out, cut, and bake cookies efficiently
- Target: At least half the group gets 7+
- Great Success (all succeed): 450 cookies, and they look amazing!
- Success: 400 cookies ready with time to spare
- Partial: 380 cookies—close enough!
- Setback: 350 cookies, but Maria finds extra dough in the fridge
Fun complications:
- Cookie cutter keeps sticking
- Oven timer goes off and surprises everyone
- Someone eats raw dough (no illness, just scolding!)
Scene 6: The Upset Volunteer
Mr. Grumble (yes, that’s really his name) has been volunteering for 20 years and doesn’t like “kids running things.”
“An older man with crossed arms stands by the serving station. ‘Back in my day, volunteers showed up and did what they were told. Now we’ve got children giving orders? I don’t think so.‘”
Challenge: Winning Over Mr. Grumble (Kind check)
- Show respect for his experience and ask for his help
- Target: 9+ (Hard—but worth it!)
- Success: Mr. Grumble softens. “Well… I suppose you ARE trying hard. Let me show you how we set up the serving line.”
- Partial: He’s still grumpy but stops complaining
- Setback: He walks off to take a break (other volunteers step up)
Guidance: Help players understand that showing respect and asking for help often works better than giving orders.
Act 3: The Resolution
Scene 7: Final Preparations
Check in on each area:
- Vegetables: Delivered and being prepared
- Dining Room: Set up and looking great
- Cookies: Cooling on racks
- Volunteers: Working as a team
“Mrs. Chen does a final walk-through at 4:30. Her smile grows as she sees each station. ‘I can’t believe it. You actually pulled it off!‘”
Scene 8: The Doors Open
“At 5 PM sharp, the doors open. Families start streaming in—parents holding young children, elderly couples, teenagers. They all look up at the welcoming dining room, the delicious smells from the kitchen, and the smiling volunteers. A little girl tugs on your sleeve. ‘Thank you for making dinner!‘”
Optional Roleplay: Let players describe helping serve food, talking to guests, or cleaning up.
The Grateful Director
“As the last guests leave, Mrs. Chen gathers everyone together. ‘Today, you showed what community really means. People came here worried and hungry, and they left full and happy. That’s because of each of you. Thank you.‘”
Wrap-Up
Discussion Questions
After the adventure, ask the scouts:
- How did it feel to help so many people?
- What was the hardest problem to solve?
- How did teamwork make things easier?
- Why is service important?
Real-World Connection
This adventure connects to real service opportunities:
- Volunteering at food banks
- Helping with community events
- Supporting neighbors in need
- Understanding food insecurity
Achievement Tie-Ins
This adventure could count toward:
- Community Service hours
- Duty to Others
- Teamwork requirements
- Cooking/Food Safety awareness
Scaling Notes
For Younger Players (Ages 5-7)
- Focus on the cookie scene (most hands-on)
- Simplify the lost delivery to a simple phone call
- Skip or soften Mr. Grumble
- Make checks Easy (Target 5+)
For Older Players (Ages 9-11)
- Add a supply shortage problem (improvise solutions)
- Include a scheduling conflict between volunteers
- Add time pressure with a visible clock
- Mr. Grumble becomes a multi-step challenge
For Mixed Groups
- Older scouts handle communication challenges
- Younger scouts excel at cookie production
- Everyone helps with dining room setup
- Pair up for difficult Kind checks
Possible Setbacks Summary
| Scene | Setback | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Organizing | Volunteer upset | Calm words, fresh start |
| Delivery | Wrong directions | Figure out together |
| Dining Room | Broken table | Duct tape fix |
| Cookies | Not enough | Find extra dough |
| Mr. Grumble | Walks away | Others step up |
Guide Tips for This Adventure
- Emphasize Kind: This adventure highlights social and service skills
- Real stakes, not danger: The tension is disappointment, not disaster
- Celebrate small wins: Each problem solved is progress
- Make service feel good: End with gratitude and satisfaction
- Connect to reality: Consider actually volunteering together!
Continue with Adventure 3: The Cardboard Regatta or return to Game Mechanics.
