New Orleans, LA – February 6, 2024

Camp Pemigewassett is proud to announce that our Cans from Campers initiative has received a 2024 Eleanor P. Eells Award for Program Excellence from the American Camp Association. Cans from Campers founder and Pemi Board member Dottie Reed, former director and Pemi shareholder Tom Reed, Jr., Pemi director Kenny Moore, and Pemi staff member Sarah Moore were on hand at the 2024 ACA National Conference to receive the award.

Per the ACA, “The Eleanor P. Eells Award for Program Excellence is designed to honor 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.” 

Started in 2015, the Cans from Campers program aims to address the annual spike in food insecurity associated with summer, a time of year when both reliable food assistance and donations decline, exacerbating need for those already at risk. On opening day for each of our sessions, we ask families and staff to bring canned food items with them at drop-off. Over the years, the Pemi community has contributed the equivalent of thousands of meals to our local food banks in New Hampshire and Vermont. Given that summer camps open right at this critical time, we recognized the potential for other camps to adopt the initiative and have taken steps to spread the word locally, regionally, and nationally. We hope this award is the push needed to spread this program across the country – imagine the impact if thousands of camps were to join in.

In reflecting on acceptance of the award, Dottie Reed stated, “Our campers and staff love this program and, as donations grow, they literally see how small actions lead to significant results when working collectively. My greatest hope has been to inspire summer camps far and wide to join in, to take collective action by starting Cans from Campers at their camps, too. It’s so easy to do and, together, what a huge difference we could make in addressing this major challenge in our country!”