Have you lost something? Clayton M. from Troop 3141 volunteered to assist the Lost and Found Staff demonstrate the process of reclaiming lost items, so we gave him a water bottle for him to “lose.”

When an item is found, it should be turned in to the nearest Lost and Found station right away. Not sure where one is? The Jamboree mobile app shows the locations of all of them on a map under the “Maps” tab on the home screen; scroll down to “Lost and Found and Post Office.”

At the Lost and Found station, the item is recorded and categorized for ease of locating later. Items with names on them are placed separately from items without any identification, because they are much more likely to get back to the correct owner.

In the case of the “lost” water bottle, Clayton headed over to the Lost and Found Headquarters, located next to the Piggot Jamboree Headquarters Building.

He described the Northern Tier High Adventure Bottle, and the staff found it and placed it back in rightful hands. Clayton said that the process was “very well organized and smooth.”

An added bonus in using the Lost and Found system: When you reclaim an item, you will receive a special patch for “making a match.” During the 2013 National Scout Jamboree, more than 6,000 water bottles were lost but never claimed. The Lost and Found staff added the Match Patch as an incentive to encourage Scouts to retrieve their lost items.

The Lost and Found staff also are having special theme days during the Jamboree, when they dress up as special characters Themes include superheroes, Americana, Disney, sports, and beach / luau.

Remember to label all your items with your name and Jamboree troop number. And thanks to Clayton from Winston, North Carolina, for his help.