Camp Green Lane Blog Post-July 9th

Yesterday, our Greek Division (the 15 and 16 year olds) participated in a day of Community Service with the Jewish Relief Agency. The following 2 blog entries were written by Campers in the Greek Division about their experience.

Yesterday, we had the benefit of participating in something great and rewarding that helped benefit our community; we traveled to Philadelphia to help out at the Jewish Relief Agency (JRA). When we arrived at the JRA Warehouse, some of us knew what to expect, but for many of us this was a new experience. As we gathered in line, we were greeted by many other volunteers who were grateful for our help. For the hour and a half we were at the JRA Warehouse, we helped out in many different ways such as breaking down and building up boxes, as well as packing foods and other necessities. As we gathered together to leave, many of us grabbed bagels together in the break room; chatting with other volunteers and amongst ourselves. Then we grabbed as many boxes as the two buses could hold and headed out to an apartment building to deliver them.

Once we arrived, we unloaded all the boxes in the lobby and began to distribute them. Once the boxes were labeled and ready to go, we split in to small groups to deliver them. As soon as we started unloading and began delivering the boxes, we could feel the gratitude from the residents as they smiled and waved, and verbally thanked us. Some residents were at their doors, while others left kind notes or open doors to help us figure out where to put the boxes. Almost all of the residents were incredibly kind and appreciative of our service. Many of them offered us small treats such as candy to thank us, in which we politely accepted.

As we left the apartment complex, we all felt happy and grateful for the good deed we had performed. Overall, the JRA experience was incredibly uplifting and brought the Greek division closer together. Although our gestures performed today only took a few hours, it felt great to participate in an experience like this with our camp friends and family. We want to thank Camp Green Lane for letting us go on this trip and inspiring us to give back to our community. This trip was a positive experience for us all because it reminded us not to take things for granted and the realities of life beyond the fantasy of camp.

Yours in Camping,

Rayna Ostroff and Clara Fisher (Gamma Girls)

Yesterday, we went to the Jewish Relief Agency in Philadelphia to help package boxes of food for people in need. It was so much fun and really nice to see so many people work together to help others. Another camp was also there, so some of us even saw and spent some time with our home friends. Most people walked around the JRA warehouse carrying boxes that would be filled up by other volunteers. My friend Sonia and I got to flatten these boxes before use and assist the people who were providing food for us and the other volunteers. After we finished at the warehouse, we put the boxes on our bus and drove to a nearby apartment building to personally deliver the boxes we had filled. We all brought a box to an assigned apartment and dropped it off ourselves. The Greek division delivered almost 160 boxes of food to people who needed them. It was really nice and rewarding to see how happy and appreciative the people who received the boxes were. Once we finished delivering, we spent our afternoon at Spruce Street Harbor Park in Penn’s Landing. We walked around and ate a lot of food there and enjoyed a beautiful day.

Yours in Camping,

Sami Rheingold (Sigma Camper)