Food and Package Policy

FOOD AND PACKAGE POLICY

When sending mail to your camper(s), we ask that all families please respect our Food and Package Policy:

• A non-food package may be sent on your camper’s birthday. Please indicate on the outside of the package that it is a birthday package.
• With the exception of birthdays, please only send letters to your camper i.e. do not send food, magazines or packages of any kind.
• If it doesn’t fit under the mailroom door, it’s not coming through it!
• Please note that books are on the packing list, and magazines are not
• Although encouraged to bring no food to camp, campers are permitted to bring a maximum of one plastic grocery type bag of food at the beginning of their camp stay, and another on Visitors’ Day.
• Camp Walden’s water undergoes more treatment than most municipalities and water bottling manufacturers. Its source is a soft water lake in a relatively unpopulated and unpolluted part of the country. It undergoes regular testing conducted by certified water treatment operators and is subject to the strictest of standards in Canada. The taste of water varies from city to city based on the makeup of its inactive minerals. Walden’s water is clear, refreshing, and indeed tastes different than your home water. Many bottled waters, although seemingly tasteless, are unregulated, and untested. If we weren’t spending so much effort keeping camp fun and safe for your campers, we could go into the water bottling business! “Walden Water”… has a nice ring to it! Bottled water is not permitted at camp.

ESSENTIALS – If you feel that you need to send “essential items” to your camper, please mark your package with the word “ESSENTIALS” in large bold print.  This indicates to us permission to open the package and deliver the essential items to your camper.  Please note that “essential items” are only those found on our packing list.

There are many factors that have guided the development of a Food and Package Policy:

1. NUTRITION - Camp provides a nutritional and well-balanced menu. In addition to the desserts following lunch and dinner, campers enjoy a variety of special snacks after every evening program. The amount and variety of food at camp is more than adequate. Having food in the cabin often encourages some campers to substitute nutritional meals with less than nutritious snacks.
2. SAFETY – Food in the cabins often leads to unwanted wildlife in or near the camper unit that can pose a risk to camper safety.
3. CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT – Food in the cabins often leads to unnecessary garbage in camper cabins.
4. SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS – As with our Packing Policy, jealousies and hard feelings can be the result of an environment when there are “Haves” and “Have Nots”.