Free Maggie and Max by Ellen Miles Page A

the floor. “Boys, this is Mr. Baker,” Dad said, introducing the man. “He is the director of the Nest, which is a shelter for families who need temporary homes.”
    “You mean, like the way we take care of puppies?” Charles asked.
    Dad nodded. “Sort of. Does everybody remember the big fire at Pinewood Apartments last week?”
    Charles nodded along with all the other boys. He sure did remember. He remembered Dad’s beeper going off in the middle of dinner. Dad was a fireman, and he was always ready to go in an emergency. He’d had to leave right away to help with the Pinewood fire, and it had kept him busy until very late that night.
    “Fortunately, nobody was hurt by that fire,” Mr. Baker said. “But three families lost their homes. So they are staying with us at the Nest. We have two other families staying there, too. Families that need a little help. With five families, we’re full to the brim.”
    Sammy raised his hand. “How long do the people stay?”
    “Usually only for a month or two,” answeredMr. Baker. “Just until they get back on their feet. Sometimes a mom or dad needs some help with finding a job, or with learning English if they are from another country. We can help with that. We also help the kids with their homework, and make sure they get to school every day.”
    Now another Scout spoke up. “Do the families help out at the Nest?”
    “They sure do,” said Mr. Baker. “We all work together to keep the Nest going, just like you all help out with chores at home. In return, the families get a safe, warm place to live and three meals a day until they can find new homes.”
    Now Mom spoke up. “Three
delicious
meals,” she said. “I had dinner there once when I was writing an article about the Nest.” Charles’s mom was a reporter for the
Littleton News,
the local newspaper.
    “We do have a good cook,” agreed Mr. Baker. “And I must admit I enjoy helping out in the kitchen, too. I wonder if you boys can guess whatkind of things I like to make? I’ll give you a hint: My name says it all.”
    Charles got the hint. “Cookies!” he yelled.
    “Cake!” yelled Sammy.
    “That’s right, I’m a baker,” said Mr. Baker. “And when you come to the Nest next week, you can sample some of my treats.”
    Dad spoke up again. “Remember how we agreed at our last meeting that we wanted to volunteer somewhere, to help others in our community? Well, Mr. Baker has invited us to help serve dinner at the Nest one night a week for the next month. We’ll even be there for Christmas Eve!”
    Mr. Baker was nodding and smiling. “We can’t wait to have you,” he said. “Especially on Christmas Eve. That’s when we put on our annual showcase — you know, singing, dancing, all that stuff. And our volunteers are the stars of the show!”
    Charles gulped. Working at the Nest soundedlike fun, and it would be great to help people on Christmas Eve. But, performing in front of a group of people was
not
his idea of a good time. Just the thought of it made his hands feel all hot and sweaty. But there wasn’t time to worry about that now. It was time to say good-bye to Mr. Baker and finish up their meeting with a song. Mom turned out all the lights except for the ones on the Christmas tree. Then Charles and the other Scouts sang “Show Akela we stand tall, we are Cub Scouts after all” to the tune of “It’s a Small World After All.” Singing was fun, as long as it wasn’t for an audience.
    They were on the last verse when Charles heard the phone ring. A moment later, Lizzie rushed into the room. “Ms. Dobbins just called!” she said to Mom. “She wants us to come over right away. She says she needs a foster family
tonight.”
    Ms. Dobbins was the director of Caring Paws,the animal shelter where Lizzie volunteered one day a week. Ms. Dobbins and her staff took care of lots of dogs and cats, but sometimes they needed help. That’s where the Petersons came in.
    As soon as the last Cub Scout