Camp Green Lane Blog Post July 9th

It’s a rite of passage at Camp Green Lane to serve in the Dining Hall. The boys do it, the girls do it, and we told you a few days ago about the special summers spent as CGL Greeks.

But every summer when they leave camp for their trip, the job of serving breakfast, lunch and dinner falls to the oldest boys and girls in camp. For the last two days, Senior Girls and Boys have picked up trays for the first time and gleefully served meals for the rest of camp. They’ve done a masterful job expediting food and getting everyone fed. They’ve done pizza lunch and chicken parm dinner and today they crushed grilled cheese lunch.

For many, it’s their first experience working. Doing a job comes with a level of satisfaction, and it’s amazing how every summer these campers jump at the chance to roll up their sleeves and get in the mix.

This speaks to the culture of our Dining Hall. At CGL, we eat family style. There are no shifts. We all eat together as one. We share and we help to get each other fed and meal time is also a time to congregate.

During orientation, counselors get a chance to serve meals, so we all have an appreciation for how the Dining Hall works. We also have an appreciation for hospitality and making others feel comfortable when they’re here.

So much about camp is about making people feel like they have a place. From the food we serve to the signs we made today for our Spanish campers who were rooting for Spain in a big soccer game against France, CGL is a place that feels like home to a lot of people from a lot of different places.

That takes work. But here at camp, there’s plenty of people who are ready and willing to do it in so many ways.