September 24th

In Kind

Some of you may know that this summer was my third (and last) summer as head cook at Camp Valaqua, our denomination’s provincial summer camp. I am back at school now and next summer, school runs through the summer for me so I can’t go back to run the kitchen.

But, I can look back on these summers and share something few people know because it happened very much behind the scenes.

In the summer of 2024, we began to receive in kind donations of fresh fruit and vegetables. These donations have made a huge difference on our camp grocery bills. And we as camp staff have felt supported by the donations themselves, and by the many, many people who chipped in to grow the produce, receive and store it along the way, pick it up, deliver it, prep and serve it, and later, return the empty bins.

“In kind” is a term used to describe donations that are directly valuable and useful rather than donations of capital that purchase these valuable and useful items.

These donations began after I ran into Blaine Andres from Foothills Mennonite Church in the grocery store in early summer of 2024. He offered to help set up in kind donations of produce through his work connections to greenhouses.

This kindness started with that offer and since has set up a whole chain of people who interact with these donations on their way to campers’ plates. The term for this donation type “in kind” stood out to me as a play on words. The phrase highlights everyone’s willingness to support something that made a huge impact, something that I could not make happen on my own.

In addition to Blaine’s connections, Broxburn Farms sent veggies along with the Foothills Mennonite Church farm stand truck. Then the Foothills office administrator Maxine, would make sure the veggies were stored and shipped out with a family on their way to camp. Church families and Aiden, the associate pastor at Foothills, would bring them out and bring back empty bins.

Blaine and I made trips to Freestone to pick up loads of fruit and veggies and even Edmontonians got in on the action from where they/we are situated three hours north of most of the produce action. My husband, Liam Kachkar, visited the Little Potato Company warehouse in Nisku (you can see it from the QEII) to pick up 150 lb donations of potatoes in our hatchback and drove those donations down to camp. With all of this produce, at least one of our staff developed a cucumber obsession!

I really enjoyed working with all of you, whether it was in kind donations of produce, storage space, rides, coordination think-power, or prep! Thanks for reading and for praying for us through the summer, it all makes such a difference.