Pack Dues

Pack 46′s dues are $50 per calendar year (January through December). If your son joins Pack 46 at the beginning of the school year, dues for the remainder of the calendar year are $25. Dues can be paid to the Treasurer at Pack Meetings, to your son’s Den Leader, or online at the pack website via secure online payments.

Where does Pack 46 spend my $50?

We’re glad you asked that question! Over half — $27 to be precise — of that goes to the Boy Scouts of America and the Westark Area Council. That includes an annual subscription to Boys Life magazine:

• BSA and Westark Area Council dues: $15
• Boys Life subscription: $12 ($1 per month)

The remaining $23 goes first to awards that your Cub Scout earns throughout the year. Each badge or patch, belt loop or pin, has an associated cost. Those items are typically $1 to $3 each.

After awards, some of the dues money goes to support other pack activities such as campouts, Pinewood Derby, the Blue and Gold Banquet, summertime activities, supplies for dens, and other costs.

The Pack Treasurer prepares a monthly report, and any parent can see that report at our monthly Committee meetings (and Parents are encouraged to attend those meetings) or any other time by contacting Committee Chair Matt Morningstar.

Fundraisers

As you can see, dues do not cover all of the pack’s annual expenses. Much of the pack’s annual costs are paid for by our annual fundraiser: selling Trail’s End Popcorn, which the pack does in October (“Poptober”) every year. In addition to raising money for the Pack’s activities, Cub Scouts can also earn prizes for selling popcorn. They also get a patch and a pin.

In 2010, we had 41 out of 80-something boys sell popcorn. We’d love to see that number get closer to 100% this year.

The Pack has a “Popcorn Kernel” that coordinates popcorn sales, collecting orders, getting orders to the Council, picking up the popcorn, distributing it to the pack, and distributing prizes to Cub Scouts.