Patrol Grocery Shopping for a Weekend Campout (THE THREE P’S – PLANNING, PURCHASING, PACKING)
PLANNING
At the Patrol meeting, determine the number of Scouts attending the campout and appoint a Patrol grub master who will buy food. The grub master should get a check from the Troop Treasurer, usually $15 per Scout for 4 meals.
After the patrol meeting, the grub master should plan a menu for the weekend, usually 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 1 dinner. The Patrol grub master should check with the Quartermaster to find out if there is anything in the trailer food inventory that can be used (oatmeal, pancake mix, cooking oil, syrup, etc.). The meal planning worksheet and Troop 975 Cook Book can be a useful tool for planning.
PURCHASING
Using the Patrol menu, buy food for appropriate number of meals – usually Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch, Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast. Buy for value – get the inexpensive store brand instead of the finest gourmet brand. Buy eggs in a styrofoam carton because the paper cartons will disintegrate from the melted ice water in the chest. Don’t buy too much. No Scout has ever starved to death on a weekend campout! Between all the other Patrols and the Adult Patrol we’ve never been less than stuffed at every meal.
A Scout is thrifty. Spend only the amount of money designated per Scout (usually $15) times the number of Scouts attending. If the Scout can buy all the food for less than that, the extra money can be refunded to the patrol members.
Parents – Your Scout must take a VERY ACTIVE role in grocery shopping. It may seem easier (and a lot less hassle) to do the shopping for him, but he won’t learn anything that way. Use the grocery shopping as a way to explain the cost-per-ounce comparison method, and help him figure out how much to buy.
PACKING
Put perishable items such as meat, eggs, and milk in an ice chest with several bags of ice, and make sure the Scout’s last name is on the ice chest. Put meat in a Ziploc baggie or Tupperware so blood doesn’t leak on everything inside the ice chest. Other food items like bread and dry mixes should go in a cardboard box marked with Scout’s name/patrol. Don’t use plastic grocery sacks, the stuff will get squashed. The ice chest and food box will be transported in the troop trailer.