Grub Master

At the Tuesday troop meeting prior to each outing weekend, the scouts meet in their patrols and plan the outing details, including the food for their patrol – typically two breakfast meals, one lunch, and one dinner. At some point, your scout might come home and tell you that they are grub master for the trip this coming weekend. Your heart may skip a beat, but it is really not a big deal. Here is what you need to know:

• Your scout should have left the planning meeting with a grocery list of what is needed for his patrol’s food.

• You will need to take your scout to the grocery store prior to the outing so that he can shop for the items needed.

• Save any receipts! Your scout is not responsible for paying for all of their patrol’s food for the outing. He will need to submit any receipts to the scoutmaster at the next troop meeting. You will be reimbursed for the groceries. The total gets included in the outing expenses and divided among the attendees.

• Your scout will need to pack the food before going to the outing meeting point. This means having access to a decent- sized cooler and ice packs for any items requiring refrigeration for a couple of days.

• Note that all cooking gear is brought by the troop on the outing in the patrol boxes. You do not need to worry about any of those items.

• Your scout will take the primary lead in cooking the meals for the patrol on the outing, although other patrol members help too.

Throughout this process, put as much responsibility as possible on your scout. This is his job – not your job. Supervise at a distance and assist only when necessary. You can choose to remind him if he is forgetting a key item (like hamburger buns for hamburgers) or you can let him make a mistake. The scouts will deal with it on the outing and learn a lesson. While scouting emphases being prepared, it also teaches figuring it out when things do not go according to the plan. Encourage your scout to take on grub master duty. It is a great exercise in taking responsibility for planning and executing real world tasks.