You may not have noticed, but those once-ubiquitous boys and girls selling popcorn outside of the hardware store, grocery store, or Walmart are absent this year. With the current pandemic, major chains in cities around America are no longer allowing Cub Scouts to fundraise out front. It’s understandable; there can be an awful lot of contact handling cash payments and delivering products in person.
Instead, the company that supplies popcorn for the Cub Scouts is pushing hard for online direct sales. The customer places an order entirely online, and it’s delivered to his or her home. But where do the Cub Scouts fit in? What new skills are they learning from this?
In Wake Forest, our own Pack 500 Scouts have been rising to the challenge in creative ways. In-person and storefront sales taught youngsters about persuasive techniques, how to approach strangers, how to gracefully accept rejection, and to step out of their comfort zones. While these interactions are almost impossible to simulate online, parents and Scout leaders are coming up with sales techniques that offer new learning opportunities for tomorrow’s leaders.
Some have made creative online videos asking friends and family members to buy. Others have reached out to famous Eagle Scouts to solicit donations. Cub Scouts can really challenge themselves by attempting to sell popcorn in all fifty states.
The popcorn fundraiser contributes most of the money to pay for activities like pack hikes, the Pinewood Derby, shooting sports, and trips to the aquarium. As the 70 boys and girls in Pack 500 stretch themselves to come up with ways to appeal online to friends, family members, and total strangers, Wake Forest residents can support them. Pack 500 is trying to raise $23,000 this year – an ambitious goal, considering last year’s in-person sales totaled $20,000. Please consider supporting our local Cub Scout Pack by purchasing popcorn or making a donation here.
Want more information about Pack 500? We’re always looking for new Scouts, and we even have several female dens. Check out our website or email Cubmaster Jenny Goguen at scouterjennyg@gmail.com. Research shows that kids who participate in Cub Scouts believe they are more cheerful, helpful, kind, trustworthy, and hopeful about the future. A donation to Cub Scouts is truly an investment in the future of Wake Forest.
By Diane Pulvino, a Cub Scout parent
