FAQs

Cub Scout Pack 279 is a Family Scouting pack, which opens Cub Scouting to both girls and boys in grades k-5.

Remember that Pack 279 maintains a “sibling and family members welcome” approach to all Pack 279 events. We hope to see scouters’ brothers and sisters out at our next Family Camp Out, Pack Meeting, picnic, or hike.

The Cub Scouting program is designed for boys and girls in Kindergarten through Grade 5.  A boy or girl may join Cub Scouts at any time during any of these grade levels. His or her grade at the time that he joins will determine which den he or she enters.  The dens are as follows.

• Kindergarten – Lion Den
• Grade 1 – Tiger Den
• Grade 2 – Wolf Den
• Grade 3 – Bear Den
• Grade 4 – Webelos Den
• Grade 5 – Arrow of Light Den

Information about yearly dues can be found in the Registration Form Checklist.

Dues include fees assessed from BSA for registration and insurance, a Scout’s Life magazine subscription, awards and recognition items. However, no boy  or girl is ever turned away from Cub Scouting due to an inability to pay. If finances are a concern, please feel free to contact, in confidence, the Cub Scout Pack 279 Cubmaster at cubscouts@pack279.us. We offer a scholarship to ensure every child who wants to join scouts can participate.

Pack 279’s only fundraiser is the sale of Trail’s End Popcorn each fall.  The proceeds from the popcorn sales allow the Pack to purchase awards, advancement supplies, pinewood derby car kits, space derby kits, and raingutter boat kits, and to pay for Pack meeting guest speakers, needed supplies and more.

When the Pack goes camping or visits parks or museums, we ask that the scouts attending contribute a set amount to help defray the costs of admissions, food and/or lodging. Typically these fees are under $25 per event. However, inability to contribute does not preclude a scout from participating.  Please discuss, in confidence with the Cubmaster, any financial concerns that you may have.

All forms for new and returning scouts can be found on our Join Scouts page.

Part “C” of the Annual Health & Medical Record is only required when the scout or parent will be camping for over 72 hours.  For Pack 279, the only annual event that requires Part “C” is the Webelos Resident Camp.

No.  Although the form can be completed electronically, for HIPAA and security reasons, Pack 279 only will accept paper copies of the form with ink signatures. Further, as no electronic copies of any medical forms will be kept, Pack 279 highly recommends that parents retain a copy of the Annual Health & Medical Record for their own records and in case the Pack requires additional copies for summer camp or other needs that may arise.

We use two main uniforms for scouts in Pack 279. The Class A uniform for Tigers, Wolves, Bears, Webelos and Arrow of Light. You can find out more about the Cub Scout and Webelos uniforms here.  However, Pack 279 only requires the Cub Scout Shirt, appropriate rank neckerchief, and slide for completion of the “Class A” uniform for attendance at Den and Pack events. We also recommend the cloth Cub Scout belt for displaying belt loops as they are earned. Pack 279 provides the neckerchief and slide to each scout each year.

Lion Scouts wear a Class B uniforms with a yellow scarf and slide.

Class B is our Pack 279 Navy Blue T-Shirt available for purchase at most monthly Pack meetings. For a full outline of the Pack 279 Uniform Requirements for all scouts, view our Uniform page.  We also encourage parents to purchase and wear Class B T-Shirts when parents are attending an event alongside scouts in the community.

We do not require official BSA shorts, slacks or socks.

Parents do not need to purchase the neckerchief and slide.  Your child will be recognized and will be presented a neckerchief and slide at the first Pack meeting or Pack event that your child attends after joining.

For all other parts of the uniform, please visit the Mechanicsburg Scout Shop. The staff there is extremely helpful in helping scouts obtain the shirt, hat, belt and all of the required patches.

The staff at the Mechanicsburg Store can be extremely helpful when you go to buy your insignia. Generally, every scout uniform in our pack should have the following elements:

Left Arm:

• New Birth of Freedom Council Patch
• The Red Background Digits: “279”
• Leave a 1/2″ gap below the Council Patch and above the “279” numbers. We have a 50 year veteran bar that goes in this space.

Right Arm:

• USA Flag

Left Pocket:

• World Scouting Patch

All other insignia, pins, and loops are awarded and provided by the Pack as the boy earns them.

Cub Scout Pack 279 has a yearlong program, with meetings and events several times per month. Although scouts are not required to be at every event, they are encouraged to try to attend meetings and events on a regular basis.  Furthermore, as parents are very involved in the program and are a large part of what makes the program successful, at least one parent or adult is expected to accompany his or her scouts at most events.   Monthly meetings and events include:

• Pack Meetings – A one-hour meeting on the third Thursday of every month, September through May.
• Den Meetings – One two-hour meeting per month, September through May. (Tigers and Lions meet twice per month for 1 hr or 45 min respectively)
• Events – One or two events per month, year-round.  The times vary by event, but most range anywhere from one to four hours.
• Fall and spring family camps – A 24-hour camping trip at one of our Council’s camp sites.
• Summer camp – Either a three or five day camping trip (depending on the scout’s age) at Camp Tuckahoe in Dillsburg, PA.

Yes, absolutely. We have current parents in the pack of special needs students who are willing to speak with you about their experience making cub scouting a rewarding and positive activity for their child. Cub scouting is meant to offer simple, fun, rewarding experiences to boys and girls while teaching them strong values and positive attitudes. Please reach out to the Cubmaster at cubscouts@pack279.us to talk about your goals with your special needs scout and how we can design a program or activity that will be positive for them.

Pack 279 understands that kids today are busier than ever and we don’t want to force parents to have to choose between activities. We encourage you to try to attend as many events as possible to provide your son or daughter with a quality Cub Scouting experience.  Should a scout need to miss meetings or events, the Pack and den leaders will work with the scout and his or her family to ensure continued advancement through the program and to bring the scout up to speed on what was missed.

Volunteering is essential to a successful Cub Scout program and Pack 279 is fortunate to have a great group of volunteer leaders and committee members. While parent involvement at all levels is key, the Pack is always looking for persons to help run the program and serve in leadership and committee roles.  By doing so, parents can help to provide the best possible Cub Scouting program for our boys and girls. If you are interested in serving Pack 279 in any capacity, please contact the Cubmaster at cubscouts@pack279.us

Yes! Pack 279 tries to include siblings (boys and girls, younger or older) at every opportunity during our Pack events and outings.

Be sure you receive a copy of out the Pack’s “Schedule of Events”, refer to the Calendar page, and check out Pack 279’s TimetoSignUp.com site, which is a great, free online resources for tracking even sign ups.