If cans and bottles are piling up at your house, Cub Scout Pack 3106 would like to take them off your hands. The group will have a trailer at St. Patrick School on Monday, May 25th, and Sunday, May 31st, from 9:00am to 3:00pm to collect clean returnable containers.
“We decided on a pop can fundraiser because several adults in the group commented on how they were tired of bottles and cans taking up room in their garage,” explains Jim George, Cubmaster for Pack 3106.
Under Michigan law, many beverage containers are subject to a 10 cent deposit which is refunded to consumers when they return the container to the store. However, Michigan’s stay-at-home order has closed down bottle and can returns for the time being, and the law doesn’t include any provision to temporarily suspend the collection of the deposit. That means beverage containers are filling the basements and garages at households across the state.
The Cub Scout can drive not only helps eliminate clutter in residents’ homes but also provides money to local scouts at a time when budgets are tight for families and the future of traditional fundraisers is uncertain.
“The money raised [will be] used to fund the Cub Scout program and help keep dues low for the families involved,” George says. “Any money raised in excess of the year’s target funding goal will be donated to a charity of the Cub Scouts choosing.”
Scouting during the Stay-at-Home Order
Like other organizations, the Cub Scouts have been doing their best to adapt to current events. While traditional campouts and activities have been cancelled, George says scouts and their families have been encouraged to work on activities from their handbook at home, if possible.
The Boy Scouts of America organized a virtual campout for scouts of all ages, and George says he has plans to send videos to his pack with tutorials on how to start a campfire, fold a flag and conduct a flag raising and lowering ceremony among other things.
“We haven’t done anything formally as a pack yet, but we plan to meet virtually to announce rank advancements and awards,” he says.
Those who would like to support Pack 3106 by dropping off cans or bottles will find the trailer in the southeast parking lot on the St. Patrick School grounds at 4333 Parnell Ave NE. Cans and bottles will be collected from 9am-3pm on Monday, May 25, and Sunday, May 31.
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