Gathering for Meals by Maine Camps

As it’s said: “the family that eats together, stays together.” There are so many benefits from family meals, but eating together often goes by the wayside during the school year. With hectic sports practice and game schedules, music and art lessons, tutors and homework, doctor appointments, work travel, evening work hours, and more, families don’t always get to sit down to eat together. This makes the camaraderie from communal dining at Maine Camps even more important; it’s very grounding and offers many benefits.

Why is eating together important? There are so many great reasons, including:

- Helps families or groups of people stay connected and feel like they belong - Provides a time to de-stress and bolsters mental health - Builds communication by giving people time and a forum to talk about their day, what’s happening in their lives, and about the world around them - Promotes sensible eating habits vs. “mindless” eating which can come from snacking throughout the day or eating on the go - Seeing others eating foods encourages people to try new foods

At home, we know kids often have dinner #1 at around 4pm and then dinner #2 around 9pm. Or, it’s not unusual to grab a quick slice at the pizza place en route to the next activity, or eat a sandwich in the car before practice, or have a few snacks in the dance studio lobby before class.

At Maine Camps, campers sit for three meals a day with their peers and their counselors. Some camps sit at tables grouped by cabin for all three meals or have fixed seating for breakfast and dinner, and open seating for lunch. Other camps switch seating every few days or weekly throughout the summer so campers meet others in their age group or with the same name or with the same birthday - the combinations are endless! Some meals may be in the dining hall and others may be in an outdoor picnic area. Some camps’ meals are served family style and others are buffet, but regardless - campers and counselors are coming together to eat, chat, and even sing and cheer.

In addition to being a great gathering space for meals together, camp dining halls are also special as they often feature decorative plaques representing special traditions and teams from camp Olympics and other events. These works of art are displayed and seen for years and generations.

So, as you “break bread” with friends and family this week at Thanksgiving or anytime, may everyone enjoy the great benefits of dining together. We’re sending a kiss to all our camp chefs and their teams for delicious food. And, thank you to our MCE Business Partners who provide great food for our camps including: H&H Purchasing, Performance NorthCenter Food Service, and Sysco; as well as partners who provide lumber and services for beautiful Maine Camp dining halls and pavilions, including: Hancock Lumber, Hammond Lumber, McCormack Building Supply, and Pine Tree Food Equipment.

Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools

Looking for the perfect Maine camp for your child?  Try out our helpfultool where you can select a camp by choosing_: type of camp (girls, boys or coed) and session length (1-8 weeks).  It helps to narrow down a few camps to a manageable list that includes rates.  Then you can research these camps in more depth.  _

Next, be sure to contact our Maine Camp Guide, Laurie to discuss these camps as well as for free, year-round advice and assistance on choosing a great Maine summer camp for your child.

You can share your own Maine camps memories & expressions of gratitudeon our Memories of Camp section of our website.