History

Our Pack has been a staple in the Mantua Community since 1975 when our charter was originally granted by the Lions Club of Mantua as Cub Scout Pack 7045.  We are a unit within the Garden State Council (GSC) of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The Pack has continuously served the community since 1975 but became chartered under a new organization in 2014 when we were then chartered by the Masonic Lodge of Mantua providing the youth of Mantua Township with opportunities for scouts to improve confidence, learn about character, and engage in fun and new activities.  Our activities include our fall and spring camping events, field trips to everything from local police stations, parks and businesses to sporting events, derby races including pinewood cars and rain gutter boats, and even out very own Scout Olympics!  We are always looking for exciting new ways to add and improve to our program making sure we are always providing the community with an exciting program that provides the opportunity to teach our scouts through doing teaching core concepts such as the American values of honesty, tolerance, a strong work ethic, good citizenship, leadership, and respect.

Organization

We are a family scouting organization that includes approximately 60+ boys and girls from grades K through 5 registered in the Pack.  Our Pack is lead by our Cubmaster with help from the Council Member Chairman and the rest of the Pack Committees entirely made up of volunteers who help with everything from organizing our Outdoor Campouts and Fundraising to welcoming new members to the Pack.  The Pack is broken down into smaller groups called “Dens” according to Cub Scout ranks.

The ranks are:

Kindergarten - Lion Scout

1st Graders –  Tiger Scout

2nd Graders – Wolf Scout

3rd Graders –  Bear Scout

4th Graders –  Webelos

5th Graders – Arrows of Light (AOL)

Each den will have approximately 5 – 10 scouts assigned to it with at least two Den leaders certified in Youth Protection Training, one Den Leader and at least one Assistant.  These are volunteers who are responsible adult individuals from the community and practice two-deep leadership and other methods that keep the scouts safe and all times. The Den Leaders coordinate and manage the dens actions and activities.

Events

Dens generally meet two times a month. The Den meetings are usually held at the Mantua Methodist Church, The Mantua Masons Lodge, or The Mantua Community Center, but Dens are free to work within their membership to find the best locations and times that work for them.

Once a month, typically on the last Friday, Dens participate in Pack meetings held at the Mantua Community Center or Mantua Mason’s Lodge.  Pack meetings provide an opportunity for the sharing of information on pack activities, awarding deserving scouts with achievement badges, learning from “show and tells” or guest speakers and having fun through skits and games.  In the fall our pack meetings include a Halloween celebration, Giving Thanks dinner, and a Christmas event with a visit from Santa Claus! In the Spring we even have our own Scout Olympics as a pack event.

Throughout the year various activities are held that involve the entire Pack.  Typical activities planned during a year include two (2) camping trips, sports events, Roller Skating event, community cleanup day, decorating the graves of Veterans, hikes, a VIP dance and the ever popular Pinewood Derby Races just to name a few.  Refer to the Pack 7045 Calendar in our Team App for details on when these and other events will take place.

Ideas for other activities either for Dens or the Pack are always welcome and we are always looking for volunteers!