If you are looking for a quick and easy way to raise money for your child's youth activity, this is one of the best I have ever used and it is incredibly simple. In addition to being easy, both the kids and the parents had a great time. It also provides great visibility for you group in your community and leaves people with a positive view towards your group.

By using this method we were able to raise just under $900 in just two four hour weekends to supplement our child's travel hockey team.

Ok, ready? No, it's not a car wash. Although these are popular they require quite a bit of work to setup and organize. You must find a good location with traffic; have access to water, buy plenty of supplies, dry towels, signs etc. Plus you are always subject to weather conditions.

What we did instead was simply find a grocery store that would allow us to sack groceries for their customers and offer help to carry groceries to their cars for them. We simply put large jars on the cash register counter with our organization name with a sign on it asking for donation to support or fundraising cause. In our case we were raising money so our team could travel to Canada and play in a tournament. The kids wore their jerseys and sacked groceries on three or four of the grocery lines. We had two to three kids sacking per register.

There are several key points to consider to ensure this activity is a positive experience for all. The program can fall apart in a hurry if the store manager detects customers are becoming agitated or are not enjoying the experience.

First, children should understand the basics of grocery sacking (not too many heavy items in one bag, bread and eggs on top, etc.). Also at least one parent should be monitoring each line from a distance but be ready to lend additional assistance immediately if necessary.

Children assisting customers with groceries to their cars should be watched closely at all times.

Special attention should be paid to elderly shoppers. Some elderly people are easily agitated and don't like kids sacking their groceries, so you should be willing to step in and take over if necessary.

Also you should agree up front with the manager how long you will stay and don't stay any longer. Also don't use too many kids at one time or things could get too wild. We had 17 kids and did two 2 hour shifts which put about 3 kids per register on three different registers.

Also remember that grocery lines ebb and flow and if the lines start getting long a parent should step in and help the kids' sack. No one likes waiting in long lines, especially if they think the kids are slowing things down (i.e. you don't get donations from them).

The biggest obstacle you're likely to encounter is finding a grocery that will allow you to sack for them, but even that should take no more than 3 to 5 phone calls. We were able to get a major grocery chain to allow us two separate fundraisers at two different locations in Dallas, Texas with minimal effort. Most savvy grocery store managers will see it as a way to positively promote their store in the local community.

So there you have. If you are willing to spend $10 to $15 for some large plastic jars, some construction paper and some markers, and are willing to make a few phone calls, you can raise some quick and easy money for your organization and have a blast doing it. Its easy money and its fun for everyone.