Cubmaster’s Notes

Giving Thanks

As we prepare to close out the first half of our year, I wanted to take a moment to say Thank You to all of our pack families for your dedication and enthusiasm so far this year.  From attending den and pack meetings to helping with planning and logistics, your commitment ensures that our Scouts have the opportunity to learn, grow, and experience the best of what Scouting has to offer. Thank you for making the time and effort to support your Scout’s journey; we are truly fortunate to have such a wonderful community of families.

This spirit of this pack shone through during this year’s Scouting for Food campaign. It was inspiring to see so many families step up to help canvas our neighborhoods and collect and deliver food to those in need in our community. The sheer volume of donations that our families collected, sorted, and delivered is a testament to the character of Pack 29, demonstrating to our Scouts the importance of citizenship and service. 

Thank you once again for your unwavering support of our program and for leading by example at home and in the community. 

November Recognitions

• All of the families from Pack 29 and Troop 29 who volunteered their time and vehicles for Scouting for Food! 
• Emmet O’Hanlon for leading the Scouting for Food campaign.
• Jen Schleig for leading our fundraising campaigns and for facilitating our re-chartering process.

November Den Activities

November signaled the start of the holiday season, and with that comes a time for the Pack and our scouts to give thanks and to give back. The keystone event for November was our annual Scouting for Food campaign, which took place during the first two weekends of the month. By the numbers alone, this year proved to be one of great generosity by our pack families and our community. Here are some statistics that we track every year:

• We distributed approximately 2500 flyers throughout Forks Township.
• We had 25 scouts from Pack 29 and Troop 29 participate this year.
• We totaled 108 scout volunteer hours.
• We were able to collect 2674 lbs of good, nonperishable items. We discarded another 100 lbs of damaged or expired items. This is a 300 lb increase from last year!

We held one den meeting in mid-November, and then ended the month with our November pack meeting. 

Our November pack meeting is one where we try to give back to the Scouts and reward them for their hard work up to this point in the year. This year, we had a skating party at Bushkill Park. I really enjoy this event because everyone has a different comfort level with skating, so you get to see scouts helping and encouraging one another. It’s a great display of camaraderie and highlights the traits that a scout learns through the program.

Lions & Tigers

Lions and Tigers worked on their Citizenship adventures (King of the Jungle and Team Tiger, respectively) by participating in the Scouting for Food campaign. 

Wolves

The Wolf den worked on their Footsteps and Paws on the Path adventures. For the Footsteps adventure, they participated in the Scouting for Food campaign. For the Paws on the Path adventure, the den met at Jacobsburg Environmental Center, where they learned about the Six Essentials, Outdoor Code, Leave No Trace, the buddy system, and how to dress appropriately for the conditions. Then, they went on a hike to learn more about putting those things into practice. 

Bears 

The Bears worked on their Paws for Action adventure by participating in the Scouting for Food campaign. They also jumped in with the AOLs at their den meeting to learn a little bit about planning and preparing meals and how to shop and budget for those meals.

Webelos

The Bears worked on their My Community adventure by participating in the Scouting for Food campaign.

AOLs

The AOLs are beginning to work on their transition into the troop. This month, they learned about the Troop role of Grub Master. Planned a day of meals for a group, and then created a shopping list of the items while staying on a set budget.

December Pack Updates

Fundraising

Meat Sticks

We will be starting Show & Sell events at The Fitness Club in Forks Township. These will take place every Saturday from 12/6 through 1/10/2025, except for the weekend between Christmas and New Years.

Scouts who participate in these events will receive 60% of profits and donations for their scout accounts. Here is a Sign-Up Genius link with the dates and more information about the events.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4CAAAB2DA1FD0-60668488-cubscout#/

Bundt Cakes

Orders for the Bundt Cake fundraiser have closed, and we will be receiving them on 12/14. More details to come about pickup times and location.

2026 Pack Dues 

Every year, all Cub Scout packs, Scout troops, and any other unit that is part of Scouting America is required to re-charter for the next year. This is also the time of year when Pack 29 collects our annual dues. 

Dues for 2026 are $50 per scout. If you aren’t able to attend the pack meeting, or if you have any questions about the pack dues, please contact our Committee chair, Jen Schleig.

Winter Cabin Camping

Every year, Pack 29 rents two cabins at Camp Minsi for a weekend of camping, hiking, and other fun activities. This year, we will be camping on January 16-18, 2026. The cost is $40 per person, and that includes all meals and consumables. 

We opened up registration in November, and as of today (December 1), we only have two slots open for scouts, so if you’re interested, please reach out to Mike Ehret (pack29easton@gmail.com) or Jen Schleig (sjmznschleig@gmail.com) via email! 

Help Wanted!

Pinewood Derby Crew Chief

Pack 29 is looking for volunteers to help with our Pinewood Derby! Our current Pinewood Derby Crew Chief, Tom Quackenbush, is moving on to the troop in February, so we’re looking for someone to fill that position. 

This position requires 12-15 hours of your time during late February and March, and you will have assistance from a small team of Pinewood Derby Pit Crew members. Our current Crew Chief, Tom, will also be available to answer questions and help train you!

Please contact Mike Ehret (pack29easton@gmail.com) if you have any questions or are interested in signing up.

Pinewood Derby Pit Crew

In addition to the Crew Chief, we have openings for 1-2 Pit Crew members. This position is responsible for helping with setup and teardown of the track, and serving as the helping hands for our Build Day, Test Night, and on Derby Day. This position requires 6-8 hours of your time during the month of March. 

Please contact Mike Ehret (pack29easton@gmail.com) if you have any questions or are interested in signing up.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, December 7, 2025, 2:00 PM-4:00 PM – December Pack Meeting & Gift Exchange

Attire: Ugly Sweaters and Holiday Attire

• This is our annual holiday party and gift exchange!
• We’ll start the meeting in the sanctuary with some housekeeping items, a presentation of gifts to Toys for Tots, and an awards ceremony, where the scouts will be recognized for their work this fall. 
• We’ll then head down to the Fellowship Hall, where the dens will all work together to build a gingerbread house!
• After the activity, we’ll do a gift exchange and enjoy some hot chocolate and cookies!
• We ask that families bring two gifts:
  • One gift is for Toys for Tots. It should be unwrapped and will be collected at the beginning of the meeting.
  • The second gift is for the gift exchange. Each scout will receive a gift from the exchange during our activities in the Fellowship Hall. This gift should be wrapped and cost no more than $15
• Here is a Sign-Up Genius link to RSVP and to sign up to bring cookies and hot chocolate.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4CAAAB2DA1FD0-60670123-pack

Meat Stick Show & Sells – 12/6, 12/13, 12/20 

Attire: Class A

• We were offered an opportunity to host a few more Show & Sells at The Fitness Club in Forks Township.
• Here is a link to the Sign-Up Genius page. Use this link to learn more about the events and to sign up!
• Reach out to Jen Schleig if you have any questions!