Boy Scouts of Americas October popcorn campaign to benefit military troops overseas
By Jennifer Kneuss
October 1, 2011
517
Summary: Whether age eight or eighteen, the young boys and young men of the Boy Scouts of America are canvassing neighborhoods to not only sell popcorn for their scouting activities, but also to benefit American service men and women overseas.
Its October, and that means that boys in Boy Scouts of America (BSA) uniforms will be canvassing neighborhoods across the county, offering customers Trails End popcorn. Many people do not realize that whether or not they wish to purchase the popcorn for themselves, they can still make a purchase that will reach a recipient on the other side of the world.
There are two different items that you can order called military donations, for $30 or $50. The BSA then sends the popcorn directly to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Last year they shipped over a million boxes, explained Jim Elco, Cub master of Pack 95 at St. Josephs Church in Dover, where 25 Pack members and more than a dozen Boy Scouts meet weekly.
For someone who doesnt want the popcorn for themselves, they can still order and have it benefit the boys, as well as benefit our troops overseas, the ones protecting us, added Cindy Czerepak, Bear Den Leader and Cub master of the First United Church in Dovers Pack 94. The pack is now up to 61 members, almost double the amount of previous years.
We have Tigers, Wolves, Bears, Webelos I and Webelos II scouts. We have a good group of boys and parents. The parents are our backbone, continued Czerepak. There are also about 22 Boy Scouts, and they are known as Troop 94.
The boys are part of the more than 1,000 scouts registered as part of 40 groups in the Netawotwes District, which covers Tuscarawas and Carroll counties.
Noyah Ortiz of Troop 94 has sold popcorn in the past.
To sell popcorn, I walk around the neighborhood and knock on doors with a buddy. When people open the door, I introduce myself and say, good evening, would you like to buy some popcorn for the Boy Scouts?, said Ortiz of his selling pitch. The microwave popcorn, Unbelievable Butter, is my favorite, he added, his eyes widening as he licked his lips at the thought of diving into a bowl of the buttery delight.
Since 1989, Barb Rupe, who is also part of Pack and Troop 84 at Broadway United Methodist Church in New Philadelphia, has been the volunteer Popcorn Kernel for the District, handling all sales, orders, and distribution.
Last year we sold $115,000 worth of popcorn in our district. 31 percent went back to the units, with the other 69 percent going back to split between the Council, the prizes the boys earned, and to pay Trails End the popcorn bill, said Rupe.
Each pack handles the money earned differently, explained Elco. Our Pack sold seven or eight thousand dollars worth last year. We get 31% or so of that. In our pack, what we do is split that money between the Pack and the boys. The Pack uses it to buy awards each month for the boys achievements, and then the boys use their share in a high adventure account, which goes toward their summer camping experience. There are a lot of boys who pay all of their summer camp fees from selling popcorn. Camp can run from just under $100 for Day Camp up to over $200 at Seven Ranges, out on the far corner of Carroll County, where the older guys go.
Boy Scout Jose Rodriguez is 11. It is important to learn new things, like how to tie knots, and to have fun. I learn that even if we play a game, and we lose, we should always be a good sport. I had fun camping out at Seven Ranges.
Rodriguez turned solemn as he recited the Boy Scout Law. A Boy Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
Anyone wishing to order popcorn, either for themselves or for the BSAs military effort, can call Rupe at 330-339-5951, or Jack McLiver, BSA District Executive, at 330-440-5802.
