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Support Scouting locally in the Western Massachusetts Council
As one of the nation's largest and the most effective youth development organizations, the BSA has served young men and women for more than 100 years. Together with your help, the Western Massachusetts Council, Scouting America will continue to inspire young people to make ethical and moral choices, become self-reliant, and take a prominent role in civic engagement over their lifetimes.
Supporting Scouting means being a member of a worldwide movement that stands for certain values and beliefs. Scouting is more than something to do. It is all about building leaders of strong moral character. Boys, girls, young men, and young women. Strengthening families and communities. As we look for vitality in our communities, we must be willing to put forth the commitment to guarantee that we do not lose our most precious resource - our children.
Providing youth with the steppingstones to positively affect their lives and those around them is the cornerstone on which the Boy Scouts of America is built. It is no longer optional to attract young people and prepare them to lead tomorrow; it is vital. We can prepare them today so that they can lead tomorrow, but only through teamwork with, and investment from individuals, corporations, foundations, and organizations.
Our objective is to help this generation of young people develop strong moral character, become self-reliant, and be prepared to lead. We are as relevant and needed today as we were 100 years ago and, with ongoing support, will be so 100 years from now.
To learn more about investing in the young people of Western Massachusetts through the powerful method of Scouting contact us. For additional information on how you can support Scouting locally, please visit the many pages on this website.
Unit Fundraising
One fundraiser. One season.
Enough money to pay for a full year of Scouting. The Trail’s End popcorn sale is the single largest fundraising opportunity available to units in the Western Massachusetts Council and it is the reason hundreds of Scouts across Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties get to camp, hike, and earn their way without their families writing another check.
Selling popcorn is not about popcorn. It is about giving your neighbors an easy way to support local Scouting and handing them something delicious as a thank you.
Why Popcorn Works
It funds the whole program — not just one trip
Units that run a strong popcorn sale routinely cover:
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Summer camp at Horace A. Moses Scout Reservation
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Registration fees and unit dues, so cost is never the reason a family says no
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Camping gear — tents, stoves, dining flies, patrol boxes
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Monthly campouts, day trips, and high-adventure treks
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Advancement supplies, awards, pinewood derby kits, and blue and gold banquets
Scouts learn something a check cannot teach
A Scout who works a two-hour storefront shift practices public speaking, handles money, hears "no" and keeps going, sets a goal, and earns the thing they want. That is the Scouting method working exactly as designed. Cub Scouts learn to introduce themselves; older Scouts learn to run the shift themselves.
Every dollar stays in western Massachusetts
The portion of the sale that comes to the council does not go to a national office. It keeps camp gates open at Moses, trains volunteers, funds camperships for families who need help, and supports the district services your unit uses all year. When a customer buys popcorn from a Scout in Springfield, Greenfield, or Northampton, that support stays here.
It is built for busy volunteers
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No inventory required — units can sell entirely online if they choose
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Storefront locations are pre-booked; your kernel just claims shifts
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The Trail’s End app tracks every sale, every Scout, and every dollar automatically
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Credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay accepted with no fees to your unit
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Council staff and your district popcorn kernel support you the whole way
New for 2026: We’ve Partnered with Trail’s End
The Western Massachusetts Council has moved to Trail’s End for the 2026 popcorn sale. If your unit sold with us in past seasons, here is what changes and what does not:
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What stays the same: the sale window, your district kernel support, and the fact that this is still the best fundraiser available to your unit.
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What is new: ordering and reporting move to the Trail’s End Leader Portal at scouting.trails-end.com, and Scouts record sales in the Trail’s End app instead of paper order forms.
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What is better: online direct sales ship straight to the customer, Scouts get their own shareable sales page, and rewards are tracked automatically — no more tallying prize forms by hand.
