An easy-to-implement and adaptable food drive project for summer camps of all sizes.

Join in.

Together, we can address food insecurity in our country by supporting our surrounding communities.

Cans from Campers

Award-winning program

Camp Pemigewassett is proud to receive a 2024 Eleanor P Eells Award for Program Excellence for Cans from Campers. This national award, given annually by the American Camp Association, honors programs “that develop effective, creative responses to the needs of people and/or societal problems using the camp environment or programs which demonstrate the positive contributions the camp experience has on the well-being of individuals and society.” Read the news release.

Food insecurity spikes during the summer for 2 reasons:

  • #1 School is out of session

    Children who depend on free or reduced fee lunches at school no longer have access, further impacting at-risk families.

  • #2 Food pantries receive fewer donations

    The traditional “season of giving” is during the November and December holidays. When summer hits, supplies are diminished.

At that same time, summer camps are opening their doors.

Summer camps across the country are starting their season at that very same time. Campers of all ages excitedly pack their bags and head off to day camps, sleepaway camps, urban camps, rural camps, large, small, specialty, all-’round camps. Each camp is different but every camp has something in common: an opening day. And many camps have multiple “opening days.”

Camps are ideally positioned to make a difference.

Imagine the profound impact that the camp industry could have if summer camps across the country ask their campers to bring a canned good on the day they arrive, contribute the donations to a local food pantry, and support those who experience food insecurity in their surrounding communities.

All it takes is saying, “when you pack your bathing suit, pack a can!”

There are more than 16,000 camps across the country.

How to launch Cans from Campers at your camp:

  • “Pack your toothbrush; pack a can!” Publicize your food drive in ways that best suit your communication schedule and platforms.

  • You might already know of a nearby food pantry. If not, Feeding America is an excellent resource to connect you with your state food bank.

  • Stage a welcoming and eye-catching collection site in a prominent area to collect donations.

  • Coordinate with your food pantry for them to pick up the donations or for you to deliver them. (Ask them to weigh your total donation so you can calculate your effort in meals. 1.2 pounds = 1 meal)

  • If your camp schedule allows, design ways for campers to engage in the process and learn more about food insecurity.

1.2 pounds = 1 meal 

There's a scale under that box! Campers love to weigh donations and then do the math. If one camp donates, say, 600 pounds to a local food pantry—the equivalent of 500 meals for their neighbors in need—just imagine the impact that 50, 200, 1000 or more camps could make?

An added benefit: you’ll set a tone of kindness for your camp season.

Cans from Campers benefits camps, too.

When the first thing a camper does upon arrival is something kind for someone else, it sets the tone for thinking about—and doing for—others.

As donations grow at your Cans from Campers collection site, the visual impact is a stunning reminder of what we can achieve when working together. Even the brand new, first-time camper feels included in a collective effort.

Does your camp already run a food drive? Let us know!