The Reston Association Summer Camps donated over 1,000 pounds of cans to a local food bank as part of a “Cans by Campers” food drive.
According to Katherine Caffrey, RA recreation director, participating children and teens at Reston Camp – which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year – collected a total of 1,120 pounds of cans over a nine-week period to benefit the South Lakes High School food bank.
Caffrey told FFXnow that the Cans from Campers effort began several years ago when a camp in New Hampshire realized that local food banks were running out of food for needy families during the summer.
“They called on their campers and said, ‘Hey, come to the meeting on the first day, bring a can, and we’ll donate it to the local food bank.’ That’s how they came up with the name ‘Cans from Campers,'” Caffrey said. “They’ve been doing it ever since and have put out a sort of nationwide call for other camps to join their efforts.”
According to Caffrey, Reston Camps’ food drive started off slow, but the amount of cans donated increased dramatically when it turned into a competition from July 29 to August 2. The camp with the most cans collected won popsicles featuring their camp mascot.
Yesterday morning (Wednesday), the cans were distributed to the South Lakes food bank, which is run by the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA). Trainee carers will go into the bank tomorrow (Friday) to sort through the cans, check any expiration dates and then restock their shelves.
“It was really fulfilling to see everything from start to finish and be part of such a learning experience for our youngest campers, ages five, all the way up to the counselors in training, ages 15 and 16,” said Caffrey.
Although the ultimate goal is to deliver canned goods to local food banks, Caffrey said another purpose is to educate campers about food insecurity throughout the community and why it’s important to give back.
“Teaching these kids at such a young age that there are people in their immediate neighborhood who may not have enough to eat and may not be as fortunate as they are will hopefully help them grow into people who will one day help oversee the food bank … be among the volunteers that are out there helping people in our community meet just basic needs,” Caffrey said.
Their goal for next summer is to expand the campaign and involve the public by donating canned goods at some campsites.
“We did that in one week,” she said. “I can’t even imagine what we can do in nine weeks next summer.”
