The Keene Community Kitchen and Camp Glen Brook

The Keene Community Kitchen is an organization that serves as a hub to support food insecure individuals and families in Cheshire County. They bring in (literally) tons of food every day that gets sorted and offered to the community in the form of markets and hot meals offered 5 days a week.

When produce is in excess at Camp Glen Brook, we often donate it to the Keene Community Kitchen where it is distributed to the community. Last year alone, we donated about 2,500 pounds of produce. Additionally, Glen Brook has recently been collecting the compost that accumulates at the Keene Community Kitchen so that they do not have to pay fees to have it picked up.

This summer, the bears got the chance to visit the Keene Community Kitchen during both camp sessions. In session 1, they helped to weed and beautify the front of the building, making the space more beautiful and inviting for those visiting. During session 2, they helped clean out the delivery van that the kitchen uses to bring food to local communities, ensuring that safe and clean deliveries can be made.

The Bear program is about stewardship, mentorship, and leadership. As campers get older, we invite them to help take care of Glen Brook and the surrounding community. They do this by hosting special events and by working with younger campers as Big Bear Mentors. Through visiting the Community Kitchen, the bears also get a sense of how Camp Glen Brook is interconnected with the greater Keene community and how what they do here at camp makes an impact far larger than they might have realized before.