most recent EMAIL COMMUNICATION REGARDING POPCORN

August 17, 2026

PBAC Popcorn Leaders,

As we continue moving into the heart of the popcorn season, I wanted to send a quick follow-up and highlight a few critical next steps for every unit.

🚨 UNIT POPCORN SNS ORDERS — DUE FRIDAY, AUGUST 21 BY 11:59 PM

Please make this your top priority. Every unit must have its popcorn order entered and submitted through the Trail’s End Leader Portal no later than 11:59 PM on Friday, August 21. Please do not wait until the deadline.

Take time now to review your sales plan and place your order. FIND SUPPORT FOR PLACING YOUR UNITS POPCORN ORDER HERE!

 THREE THINGS TO FOCUS ON NOW

1. Place Your Unit Popcorn Order

2. Schedule and Conduct Your Unit Popcorn Kickoff

3. Get Your Scouts Into the Trail’s End Portal

KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE BASICS

A successful popcorn campaign does not happen by accident. Set the goal. Get the Scouts engaged. Conduct the kickoff. Enter your Scouts. Build the order. Work on the sell. Follow up with your families.

There are no shortcuts to a great popcorn season—but there is a proven process. 

Thank you for your continued leadership and commitment to making this a great experience for our Scouts. We are excited about what is ahead and want to make sure every unit has the opportunity to Outsell. Outearn. Outexplore.

If you need help with your order, unit kickoff, Scout registration in the portal, or storefronts, please reach out. We are here to help. Let’s have a great popcorn season!

TRAILS END SUPPORT: LINK INCLUDES ALL THE SUPPORT RESOURCES YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

Thanks, 

Micah

August 6, 2026

PBAC Popcorn Leaders,

Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and partnership as we continue to implement this updated Show & Sell storefront process. We appreciate your commitment to providing a great popcorn experience for our Scouts and families.

The information below provides an update and clarification to our current Show & Sell storefront process. Our goal is to ensure that every unit has clear guidance and the opportunity to have a successful popcorn season.

Units that have completed onboarding may continue/begin managing their storefront opportunities through the Trail’s End Leader Portal.

On Monday, August 3, units were automatically assigned their initial storefront dates and locations through the Leader Portal. Please take a moment to review your assignments. If your unit is unable to use an assigned shift, we ask that you release it as soon as possible, so another unit has the opportunity claim them. As of yesterday evening, units may know go in and claim other shifts as well. 

We are continuing to work with Walmart and individual store managers to secure additional Walmart storefront opportunities. As these locations become available, they will be added to the Trail’s End Leader Portal for units to view and claim.

In addition, units may begin securing their own storefront locations within their local communities. This applies to businesses other than Walmart and locations not already included on the attached storefront list. We encourage units to continue building relationships with local businesses and community partners who support Scouting. Once your unit secures a storefront location, please enter it into the Trail’s End Leader Portal.

If your unit needs assistance identifying potential storefronts, verifying a location with a business, or navigating the Trail’s End Leader Portal, please reach out. We are here to support you and help make this process as successful as possible. Below are resources we have linked related to navigating storefronts. 

Thank you again for your leadership, patience, and commitment to our Scouts. Together, we are creating opportunities for Scouts to learn valuable skills, build confidence, and have a successful popcorn season.

STOREFRONT SUPPORT

• How to reserve a storefront?

• Next Steps After Reserving a Storefront?

• Releasing Storefront Reservations?

• Merging Storefront Reservations

• Managing Storefront Shifts

• Storefront Shift Sign-Ups: What Leaders Need to Know

• Storefront Shift Sign-Ups: What Scouts Need to Know

• Leader Created Storefront

Thanks, 

Micah

August 4th, 2026

Good Morning, PBAC Leaders,

Thank you to everyone who attended one of our 2026 Popcorn Kickoffs. The excitement, discussion, and commitment from our volunteers has us incredibly optimistic that this will be our biggest and best popcorn season yet!

Our 2026 theme, "Outsell. Outearn. Outexplore.", is more than just a slogan—it's our challenge to every Scout and every unit to dream bigger, sell smarter, earn more for their adventures, and make this a season to remember.

Whether you were able to attend Kickoff or not, we've got you covered! Attached you'll find the Kickoff presentation and important resources below to help your unit hit the ground running. Please take a few minutes to review the materials and share them with your leadership team and families.

Keep the Momentum Going

Now is the time to make sure your unit is ready for a successful sale:

• Complete your Trails-End onboarding in the leader portal (if you haven't already). 

• Ensure all current Scouts, Leaders, and families are connected in the Trails-End App. 

• Begin securing your storefront shifts:

• On Monday, August 3, units were automatically assigned their initial storefront dates and locations. You may choose to keep these assignments or release any shifts you do not plan to use. Beginning on Wednesday, August 5, units will be able to claim any remaining available storefront shifts. Please review your assignments as soon as possible to ensure your unit is prepared for a successful sale. If you do not intend to use the date please release them so that others have time to plan. 

• We are still working on securing Walmart's. Please be patient, we are working the process in place and with store managers. 

• Input your units Show-n-sell Order for approval (due Aug. 21) 

The work you do over the next few weeks will continue to make the rest of the popcorn season significantly easier.

Upcoming Training & Support

Don't forget that additional Leader Training and Live Q&A Sessions continue through August 13. These sessions are a great opportunity to ask questions, learn best practices, and pick up ideas from other successful units.

Helpful Links

• Trails-End Leader Portal: Get in and become familiar; this is where you and other leaders will manage your sale. 

• Unit Leader Resources: Multiple resources on hand at this link

• PBAC Popcorn Resources

• Printable Take Order Form

• Trails End App Support

If you run into any issues with Trails-End, please contact the Trails-End Support Team at support@trails-end.com. They're an outstanding resource and can quickly help with onboarding, account setup, and technical questions.

Important Upcoming Dates

• August 5 – Storefront Claiming Opens (Manual Selection)

• Now-Sep 4 – 

• Unit Kick-offs (Submit Completion Here) 

• Show-n-Sell Date selection

• August 21 – Show-n-Sell Orders Due (The window is open now don't wait)

• September 8 – Popcorn Sale Officially Begins

• September 10 – Show-n-Sell Distribution

(Please refer to the attached calendar for all important dates.)

Remember—you are not alone. Our council staff, district volunteers, and the Trails End Popcorn Team are here to help every step of the way. If your unit has questions, needs ideas, or runs into challenges, reach out. We want every Scout and every unit to succeed.

Thank you for investing your time and energy into making Scouting possible for the youth of South Mississippi. Every bag of popcorn sold helps provide unforgettable adventures, life-changing leadership opportunities, and experiences that last a lifetime.

The excitement is building... Let's Outsell. Outearn. Outexplore. The Tribe Has Spoken... Now Let's Sell Popcorn

Thanks, 

Micah

June 29, 2026

Good Morning, PBAC Leaders,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Popcorn Leaders Training. We appreciate your commitment to making this year's sale a success! 

Attached are the presentation slides that were discussed during the training. We encourage you to review them and share them with anyone in your Unit who was unable to attend. 

If you have not already done so, please take a moment to RSVP for Popcorn Kickoff. The kickoff will provide other important updates and everything your Unit needs to complete a strong sale.

We also want to remind Units to complete the Popcorn Commitment process in Trails-End. Many Units have started the process and indicated they are participating, but have not yet:

• Assigned a Popcorn Kernel (Unit Leader)

• Entered a Unit sales goal

• Completed the final commitment submission

Your Unit goal and leadership information are critical as we finalize storefront schedules, secure locations, and provide support throughout the sale. If you've started but haven't finished, please log back into the Trails-End portal and complete the commitment process as soon as possible.

If you need assistance, don't hesitate to contact the Trails-End Support Team (support@trails-end.com) who will be happy to walk you through the process.

Thank you for everything you do to help provide life-changing Scouting experiences for youth across South Mississippi. We look forward to seeing you at Popcorn Kickoff and to making the 2026 Popcorn Sale our best one yet!

• Pine Belt Kick-Off: Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 6:30PM, Parkway Heights UMC (2420 Hardy St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401)

• Coast Kick-Off: Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 6:30PM, Handsboro UMC (2333 Demaret Dr, Gulfport, MS 39507)

Thanks, 

Micah