It was only two weeks before our campers arrived in 2015 when we came up with the idea to host an “opening day food drive” at Camp Pemigewassett and dubbed it Cans from Campers.

We believed in the cause, sent a blast email to our families to introduce the initiative, and figured we had plenty of time to sort out the details…and we did. It was an immediate success. Today, Cans from Campers is a beloved tradition at our camp.

We host a Cans from Campers food drive for each of our sessions and over the years have contributed the equivalent of thousands of meals to our surrounding counties at a time of year when it is dearly needed. Several camps in New Hampshire have since adopted the Cans from Campers initiative and have implemented it in ways unique to their own camps’ personalities and summer schedules. In 2019, we began a concerted effort to encourage other camps to join in and then Covid hit. We’re back at it.

Please consider establishing the annual tradition of Cans from Campers at your camp. It can be as simple as a community service project: campers donate to serve those in need, or you can develop it over time into a service learning program to include campers in organizing and weighing the donations, understanding food labels and nutrition, learning about systemic causes of food insecurity, and even brainstorming ways for campers and staff to take action back at home. You’ll certainly make a difference in your surrounding community. And let’s think big: if camps across the country join together to do this, the summer camp industry will serve a crucial role in addressing one of our society’s ongoing challenges.