Pack 380 Popcorn Sales - October 8 and 22 at Safeway Store, 10am to 2pm

We have our first day of popcorn sales this weekend at the Safeway Store at Treat and Denkinger.

Our time slot is from 10am to 2pm.  Please let your den leader know if you are able to pitch and help sell popcorn or encourage your family and friends to drop by to support your local scouts.

About 30 to 35 percent of the money earned from these sales goes directly to our pack.  Another part of this goes to the local scout council.  This money goes to support all of the many scouting activities.

We have a second date for selling popcorn at this same Safeway store on October 22 at the same 10am to 2pm time slot.

Thanks for your help and support!

Scout Day at the Food Bank

Pack 380 was represented by Scout Ryan from Den 5 and Scouts David and Ethan from Den 1 at Scout Day at the Food Bank.  The food bank that we visited was the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano located on Nelson Avenue in Concord which has been in operation since 1979.  This is the same food bank where what's collected during Scouting for Food is delivered.

Apparently, Scouting for Food was to be a national scouting one-time "good turn" in 1988.  Instead it turned into an annual event.  Last year, Scouting for Food turned in 165,000 pounds of food in one day.  The record for most food collected was 204,000 pounds in 2006.  This food helps the food bank make it through the holidays.  Last year, the food bank distributed 26,000 Thanksgiving baskets through various agencies.

We'll be placing door hangers on November 12 in the neighborhood around Woodside Elementary.  The following Saturday, November 19, will be the big day when we go around the neighborhood to collect food left out on doorsteps.

The food bank does the collecting of food but relies on other agencies to get the food distributed to needy families.  They sometimes have needy families that come to the food bank warehouse, but they are not able to distribute food directly.  They are starting a food card system of some kind to deal with this situation.

Other fun facts that we learned:

• The warehouse can have up to 1.5 million pounds of food at one time on-hand.
• They turn over the food five or six times in one year with this amount of food equal to the amount of food that can fill up about 70 train cars.
• The food bank serves about 132,000 people each month.  This is more than the population of Concord.
• The food bank also hands out toys, bicycles and other items for kids.
• One of their unusual donations was a very large shipment of M&M peanuts.
• Another memorable donation was a very large shipment of stuffed animals.
• They have been able to cut back on how much they spend on electricity by installing $700,000 of solar panels on their roof.
• They have very large drive-in refrigerators that they keep at about 40 degrees.  We got to walk into two of these.
• They also have a very large freezer that they keep at something like 7 degrees below zero.  We got to walk into this one too.

This Scout Day at the Food Bank was the first time for the event.  They had four stations for us:

1. A tour of the food bank
2. A station where we made a banner to advertise Scouting for Food (food pick-ups are scheduled for November 19)
3. A classroom session where we learned about the people that the food bank helps
4. A chance for us to pack boxes of plums that came from a farm

Hopefully, they'll have this event again and more of our pack will be able to visit again!

Cub Scout Shirt with Patches

The uniform pictured is my son's from the end of his Tiger Cub year which was the 2010-11 school year.  For all 2011-12 Wolf Cubs, your uniforms should essentially look like this one.  The right sleeve should have the American flag and a patch that says Den 5.  The left sleeve should have Pack 380 and the Silverado Council patch.  Above the left pocket should go the World Scout Crest emblem.  The uniform below shows the Bobcat badge (light blue) and Tiger Cub badge (orange) on the left pocket.  You get these patches as you earn them so initially you won't have any patches here.

For the Tiger Cubs this year, your uniforms will also not have the badges on the left pocket initially.  Everything else is the same as above except the den number.  The Tiger Cub den number is Den 4.

For the new Bear Cubs this year, your uniforms will also not have any badges on the left pocket initially.  Again, everything else is the same except the den number.  The Bear Cub den number is Den 2.

Webelo Shirt and Patches

This is what the Webelo uniform for Pack 380, Den 1 should look like.  The other items to have are a cap, belt, neckerchief and slide.  These items can all be purchased at the Boy Scout store in Pleasant Hill.

2011-12 Pack 380 Calendar

September 2011

9/7 Wednesday @ 7pm - Pack Meeting – Woodside MUR

October 2011

Show and Sell Popcorn Sales Throughout October

10/8 Saturday @ 6pm – Troop 370 Shark Fishing invite to Webelos – Leave from Salvation Army Church, 3950 Clayton Road, Clayton

10/13 Thursday @ 7pm - Pack Meeting – Woodside MUR

10/21 Friday @ TBD - Woodside Fall Fest Booth

10/25 Tuesday @ 7pm – Troop 364 Campfire n’ Smores invite to Webelos (includes flag retirement) – Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church at 1578 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton

November 2011

11/10 Thursday @ 7pm - Pack Meeting – Woodside MUR

11/12 Saturday @ 9am - Scouting for Food – drop off flyers

11/19 Saturday @ 9am - Scouting for Food – pick up food

December 2011

12/8 Thursday @ 7pm - Pack Meeting – Woodside MUR

January 2012

1/5 Thursday @ TBD – Muir District International Scouting Fair (& Webelo Recruiting) – LDS Church on Denkinger Road in Concord

1/12 Thursday @ 7pm - Pack Meeting – Woodside MUR

February 2012

2/10 Friday @ 6pm - Blue & Gold Dinner – Woodside MUR

March 2012

3/8 Thursday @ 7pm - Pinewood Derby Weigh-In – Woodside MUR

3/9 Friday @ 6pm - Pinewood Derby Race – Woodside MUR

April 2012

4/19 Thursday @ 7pm - Pack Meeting – Woodside MUR

May 2012

5/10 Thursday @ 7pm - Pack Meeting – Woodside MUR

5/19 Saturday @ 10am - Cub Scout Olympics – Acalanes High School

June 2012

6/14 Thursday @ TBD - End of Year Advancement Ceremony

TBD – Pack Overnight Camp Out

More Information on Pack 380

Welcome Back Scouts!

We have a terrific year of cub scouting planned for the year!  We continue to offer opportunities for new families to join Pack 380.  The latest such opportunity was our first pack meeting of the year.

We had two new families join Pack 380 before the end of the meeting, with interest to join expressed by two or three other families.

We had many other families express interest during Woodside Information Day, but were not able to attend.  For these families, the following is the information covered at the September 7 Pack meeting:

Why Join Cub Scouts?

Your time is valuable.  Today’s families, more than ever, struggle to find time to spend together.  Cub Scouting helps to support your family by providing ready-made opportunities for you and your son to do things together.

·        Your son will get a sense of belonging as he builds his self-esteem and learns to get along with others.  Cub Scouting will teach values consistent with good citizenship, character development and physical fitness using fun and educational activities.

·         In a society where your son is taught that winning is everything, Cub Scouting teaches him to “do his best” and to be helpful to others.

      

      But most of all boys join Cub Scouting because it’s fun!

How Does Cub Scouting Work?

One unique thing about Cub Scouting is that you, as his family, join in on the program with your son, and you will help him along the way. Boys have a different handbook at each grade level, with suggested activities that are age-appropriate for their developmental level.  As your boy advances through these books by working on activities with you, he will earn badges and other recognition that he can wear on his uniform.

The Cub Scout program takes place at two levels.  Your son will be part of a den; a small group of boys in the same grade level that meet either monthly or more.  All dens, from grade 1 through 5, make up a pack.  Once a month, the dens, with their families, are together at the pack meeting, where boys are recognized for the badges they have earned and participate in a fun activity with boys from the various grade levels.

Each den has a leader (usually one of the parents) who helps coordinate the meetings.  Depending on your den, the parent-son teams may take turns running the activities and planning meetings with the den leader.  Depending on the den, the den may have monthly or bi-weekly or weekly meetings.

The following are the den/cub scout levels:

            Tiger Cub Scouts (grade 1)

            Wolf Cub Scouts (grade 2)

            Bear Cub Scouts (grade 3)

            Webelos Scouts I (grade 4)

            Webelos Scouts II (grade 5).

What Does the Pack Do?

The Cub Scout pack, which is made up of all the dens, meets monthly at the pack meetings, led by the Cubmaster.  The pack meeting could include games, skits, songs, presentations from Boy Scout troops, ceremonies and/or a presentation of badges earned during the month.  This is where families – not just parents, but siblings, too – can see the achievements of their Cub Scout.

The pack, including families, also participates in other special events throughout the year, including:

1. Pinewood Derby – You can build and race a model car.
2. Blue and Gold Banquet – It’s a Cub Scouting birthday party for all pack members and their families.
3. Camping – Overnight and day camp opportunities to  introduce your family to the camping experience.
4. Service Projects – You can participate in a food drive, help with Woodside’s Fall Fest or other community activities.
5. Field Trips and Special Outings – Great ways to learn more about the people and places in your community. 

How Much Does Cub Scouting Cost?

The annual pack dues are $80 for each Cub Scout (checks payable to Pack 380 accompanied with boy scout application).  This amount includes: BSA registration, Boys Life Magazine, Scout manuals, awards, trophies, advancement patches, pack materials, leader training costs and certain costs associated with special activities such as Pinewood Derby, Blue & Gold Banquet and Overnight Campout.

Your individual den may ask for a few dollars to cover den activity costs or ask for donations of materials or snack foods for the den meetings.

You will also be required to purchase a Cub Scout Uniform.

What is the Required Cub Scout Uniform?

The Required Cub Scout Uniform consists of:

1.     Cap

2.     Shirt

3.     Neckerchief & Slide

4.     Basic Pack Patches.

The cost for this is approximately $60.  Items such as vests, belts, pants and socks are optional.

Uniform items can be purchased at The Scout Store at 800 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill (674-8500).

Is There Any Fundraising Involved?

The Cub Scout Pack does participate in an annual Fall sale of Boy Scout Popcorn.  As a group the Cub Scouts sell popcorn at booths in various locations.  Also, Cub Scouts can sell popcorn to family and friends and earn prizes for their individual sales orders.  Each Cub Scout is not required to participate in individual popcorn sales.  However, this popcorn fundraiser is a way to help keep individual annual pack dues down and enable our pack to provide special activities for our Cub Scouts.

How Can You Help?

The most important help that you, as a parent, can give your boy is to work with him on his Cub Scouting activities and attend the monthly pack meetings with him so that you can celebrate his achievement!  Your role as a parent is the secret of success of the Cub Scouting program!

The den and the pack also rely on parent participation to run a successful program.  Cub Scouting operates through volunteer leadership.  Consider a role in helping our pack succeed by either helping as a den leader or co-leader or future cubmaster or on the pack committee (chairman, advancement chair, secretary, treasurer, trainer) that performs the administrative functions of the pack.  You’ll have a great time and training and supportive materials are available.

Have More Questions?

Contact our Cubmaster, Chris Llata, at (925) 348-3319 or arbornut@gmail.com or

contact Casey Emoto at (925) 689-8192 or emoto.family@gmail.com.

Also, check out the Pack 380 blog at www. concordpack380.blogspot.com!