Save the Date, Camp Kanata 2011

Just a heads up that "Gluten Free Week" at Camp Kanata has been set for August 7-13. You can access further information from the Camp Kanata and Gluten Intolerance Group Websites. Read previous posts about this week long residential camp experience near Wake Forest.

Until Next year: Camp Kanata 2010 Concludes

"Until Next Time Be Well and Do Good" those are the parting words that the campers hear and read on their way out of Camp Kanata. This Saturday concluded a week of great fun and great gluten free food at Gluten Free Week at Camp Kanata in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The weather even cooled and provided the perfect camp atmosphere for the over night YMCA camp. Volunteers served campers from North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland some delicious gluten free foods. I'd like to thank the numerous volunteers and donations that made this week possible for kids to experience a fun filled week at camp without any worry over what they would eat during meal and snack time. 30 campers who followed a gluten free diet played, slept, and ate along another 160+ campers this past week. The only thing that was different was where they picked up their food at meal time in the dining hall. The camps cycle menu was duplicated item by item so that those kids following a gluten free menu could eat and enjoy the fun that only Camp Kanata Dining Hall can provide. GIG secured many corporate food donations and our local support for this camp is wonderful. A special thanks to Zach for the fund raising efforts to support camp scholarships and expenses, and to the following local companies that donated products for the camp menu: Rosie's Plate, Mellow Mushroom, Bella Monica, Custom Choice Cereal, Happy Tummy Baking Co, Whole Foods Gluten Free Bake House, Harmony Farms, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Kroger, Harris Teeter, and Target. In addition to smiling faces and full bellies we heard: "these are the best hot dogs and buns and thank you so much for all the food you cooked for us, thank you for the bag of goodies-love you for it!"
Gluten free Week in 2011 will probably be mid July. Stay tuned to the GIG Gluten Intolerance Group's website and Camp Kanata's website for further details.

Gluten Free Week at Camp Kanata Begins!

What an exciting week ahead for 30 some campers as they begin their adventure at Camp Kanata during the "Olympic Week Theme", June 27- July 1st, 2010. The gluten free kitchen has been cleaned, donations procured, menus and volunteer schedules confirmed. This will be my fourth year volunteering as a camp dietitian and working with camp director extraordinaire: Alanna Conder. This year Cynthia Kuppper also a dietitian and the executive director of the Gluten Intolerance Group will be sweating along with a great group of volunteers to serve our GF campers. There have been numerous local donations to help make this camp possible which I will recap at the close of camp, so as not to forget anyone that may fill a need this week. If you are reading this blog in the comfort of an air conditioned building please send some cool thoughts our way!

Gluten Free Week at Camp Kanata

No TV, Video Games or worries about what to eat......Camp Kanata is gearing up for GLUTEN FREE WEEK! Camp Kanata is a residential camp for campers ages 6-15 located near Wake Forest, NC. During the week of June 27-July 3, 2010 the camp along with the Gluten Intolerance Group offers a gluten free menu option for campers. What does that mean? Well, a parent can send their child to camp without sending extra food or worrying about explaining special dietary restrictions. It also means that your child can take non-GF friends along because this camp is not limited to just kids with "special food needs". It means that gluten free foods are kid friendly and taste great. Volunteers duplicate the camp's cycle menu and prepare the GF option in a separate cooking area. The campers all eat together, the gluten free kids just go through a different serving line. An example menu from a day at camp includes:

Breakfast: French Toast Sticks, Bacon, Baked Apples,Fresh Fruit,Juice and Milk
Lunch: Beef Patty w/Cheese on Bun, Crinkle Fries and Watermelon
Dinner: BBQ Chicken,Hush Puppies,Green Beans, Parsley Potatoes, Applesauce and Banana Pudding

Afternoon snacks are handed out at the Snack Shack where kids have enjoyed gluten free ice cream cones! Camp Kanata Ia a popular YMCA camp and registration generally fills quickly. We are unable to save designated gluten free spots so if you are considering going to camp we advise registering by the end of February. Note need based scholarships are available through the Gluten Intolerance Group. In addition Camp Kanata is also offering a special with registration before March 1:

We want to make sure your child has an opportunity to enjoy Camp Kanata this summer. We’re accepting applications now, and we’re holding a drawing for a $200 Visa gift card on March 1. Everyone who has registered for Summer 2010 overnight camp at Kanata will be eligible for the drawing.

If you have not already registered, this is a great time to mail, fax or drop off your application. Please write “Registration Giveaway” at the top of the first page. We’re looking forward to camp, and we hope to see you here!

This will be my fourth year with the camp as the volunteer Registered Dietitian. I am happy to answer any questions you may have about the camp experience. Think all this sounds like fun? If you like to cook and see smiling faces consider volunteering with us. You can contact me at debbie.jongkind@gmail.com. You may also contact our amazing camp coordinator Alanna Conder at Conderaac@yahoo.com. See my previous posts on Camp Kanata here.

Gluten Free Week at Camp Kanata-2010

Registration has opened for campers to sign up for Camp Kanata's Gluten Free Week. The 2010 camp week will be June 27-July 3 and "Olympics" will be the theme for the week. This camp is one of two guided by the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America (GIG) and is located in Wake Forest, NC. The Philosophy of the GIG camp is stated as:

GIG believes that kids following a gluten-free lifestyle need to learn to be kids in the real world. Therefore we operate GIG Kids Camps as a part of the mainstream camping programs. As a mainstream camp we are able to get to know every GIG Camper by name and better meet their needs because our total number of campers is less than the dedicated camp. To read more about camp from GIG click here.

This will be my fourth year as the Dietitian overseeing GF week and Camp Kanata! It is a great week for both volunteers and campers. To read my previous post about camp click here. Camp Kanata will have an information table at the Gluten Free Fair at Raleigh Whole Foods on Saturday, October 17th. Stop by to ask me questions or talk with other volunteers.

Note: camp usually fills very quickly. In past years most slots are full by the end of January. To register go to the Camp Kanata web site.

Camp Kanata

What a week we had at Camp Kanata, serving our gluten free campers this past week. GIG's East Coast Camp hosted campers from Colorado, Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, Washington DC, Kansas, Washington, and North Carolina! We served 17 gluten free meals and lots of yummy snacks to campers and volunteers. A special thanks goes to several vendors and volunteers under the direction of GIG Camp Director, Alanna Conder. Serving as Camp Nutritionist for the week is easy when working with such great volunteers and the wonderful kitchen staff at Camp Kanata. We appreciate all those that walked and donated to the GF team at the recent Susan G Komen race which provided $915 to help with the expense of camp and to Zach for his efforts and donations of the green "gluten free" bracelets that all our campers and volunteers wore during our week at camp.

I had the opportunity to ask kids what they liked best about their week at camp; comments included:
"I love the food"
"I love the fact that I don't have to pack all my own food!"
"I am glad I don't have to go to a special allergy camp, but have the opportunity to go to a normal camp and not worry about my food."

Highlights of the week:
-Pineapple upside down cake made by a grandma of one of our GF campers
-Watching the smiling faces of the GF kids come through our serving line each meal.
-Zach and Trevor cooking and serving pizza to the kids for lunch
-Twins Cake Bakery "Camp Kanata" Chocolate Cake
-Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones on a hot summer afternoon
-Rosie's Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies
-Making homemade ice cream with the campers under the direction of Karen, from the Whole Foods Bake House.
-Working along side our teen volunteers to fill bags with samples of products and information for our campers to take home with them.

Plan to be a part of camp next year. Remember there will be one week designated as gluten free week and our spots fill up quickly. Although dates have not been determined yet; dates and registration information will be posted on the GIG website and Camp Kanata website as they become available.

Gluten Free Week at Camp Kanata

Camp Kanata, in partnership with the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America (GIG) and its local affiliate, will be offering a week for gluten free campers June 21-27. This will be the sixth year that Camp Kanata has offered this fun-filled week to kids. In my third year as the volunteer dietitian, I will work along side our camp coordinator, overseeing an experienced kitchen staff, and a great group of volunteers to provide gluten free food to our campers. Camp Kanata is a residential camp for children in grades 2-12, located in Wake Forest, NC. We are fortunate to have the GIG east coast camp so conveniently located to the triangle area!

This is a fun-filled camp experience, where children participate in the full camp program with the rest of the campers without worries of what they will eat at meal times. A gluten free menu is designed to mimic what is being served on the camp menu, is cooked in a designated gluten free kitchen and served to children in the dining hall along with the rest of the campers.

While the target audience is those children with Celiac Disease, we are also able to accommodate Celiac kids with other mild food allergies and some other medical conditions such as Lactose Intolerance and Diabetes.

Although food costs are much higher, GF campers are not charged any more than the normal camp fee. In order to buy supplies and gluten free products to make camp possible we welcome donations. GIG in a non profit organization. Please contact me if you would like to support this cause with gluten free products.

This is generally a very popular week for Camp Kanata and spots are expected to fill, so register quickly. For further information, registration and local contacts:
GIG http://www.gluten.net/
Camp Kanata http://www.campkanata.org/
Dr Alanna Conder, GF Kids Camp Director conderacc@yahoo.com
Debbie Jongkind, RD,LDN, Camp Dietitian debbie.jongkind@gmail.com