Summer Volunteers are back in the Kitchen

By Judy Blase Woodruff

During Session 8, Food Service Director Paula Foley found herself in a bit of a pickle. With her Food Service Assistant on pregnancy leave plus missing some staff in the kitchen, what would she do when she was expecting 400 hungry campers for lunch?

Volunteers to the rescue! Yes, a hearty crew of outstanding volunteers marched into the Dining Hall to save the day! They quickly found what was to be served for lunch and dug right in to making Caesar Chicken Wraps, preparing salad bar fixings, and stocking other goodies for lunch. Thanks to Peggy (Feigl) Gude, Sue (Olson) Lyko, Dawn (Doyle) McNamara, Jen (Drainer) Schauster, Connie Stellhorn, and Mary (Tuscher) Zofkie – headed up by Volunteer Coordinator Lucia (Juenger) Hodges – the meal was served without a hitch.

As a result of the volunteers’ help, Paula is convinced that volunteers belong in the kitchen during every week of Summer Camp. She stated, “They were a life-saver for me! Because of their dedication to the job at hand plus their experience in food handling, I definitely welcomed their participation.”

If you would like to volunteer for kitchen duty during the 2026 Summer Camp season, make sure you mark ‘KITCHEN’ on your 2026 Volunteer Application. It’s a fun time with a lot of camaraderie!

See you next year with Orange Chicken up to your elbows!

Click here to learn more about volunteering at Camp Ondessonk.