by Sarah Lauing, Director of Jewish Life

On a beautiful Friday morning at camp, you might expect campers to be most excited about diving into the lake or challenging their friends on the basketball court.  Instead, when we announced an opportunity to go out into the community and do the hard work of tikkun olam, repairing the world, sign-up sheets filled almost immediately, with campers scrawling their names in the margins and begging to be included.  Clearly, social action is an important value to the Crane Lake community.

Friday Tikkun Olam Trips are an exciting new addition to the camp program this summer.  This year, campers on the trips are tackling the issue of hunger in the community as we develop a relationship with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, located just outside of Albany.  Last session, Nitzanim and Bonim campers helped out on the farm that helps provide fresh organic produce to the Food Bank, while Chaverim and Olim campers visited the warehouse itself and helped sort the inventory of watermelon.  This session, Upper Camp will visit the farm and Lower Camp will visit the Food Bank.

At the warehouse, amidst the sweet smell of watermelon and gleeful shrieks when shells would break open, campers sorted through 31 totes of donated watermelon.  Altogether, our campers helped the food bank preserve 24,000 pounds of fruit that will feed hungry families in the community!

On the bus home from the Food Bank, campers were eager to share the satisfaction they got from these trips, the feeling that they made a positive impact on the community outside.   Upper Chaverim camper Sadie said, “It was great knowing that families got food from our hard work,” and Lower Chaverim camper Danny chimed in, “It felt good because we were actually doing something important for people in need.”  The trips empower our campers to help out beyond the boundaries of our small Crane Lake community.  As camper Jake put it, “it really makes me feel like I’m making a difference.”