by Development Director Mike Smith

Campers from Four Winds * Westward Ho summer camp spread some of their garden bounty – and joy — earlier this month with the Orcas Food Bank.

“We were overloaded with plums this year,” said Alli Cobb, the groundskeeper and gardener at Four Winds. “Too many for the campers to eat for sure, so it was a practical response to that over-abundance, and a meaningful way to connect our garden with our community.”

Four Winds is a 96-year-old camp located in Deer Harbor and has a garden overflowing with fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The campers brought several totes full of Shiro plums, which are large and were at peak ripeness.

“The campers were so excited,” says Cobb. “They loved picking the fruit, so it was a fun outlet for that energy and a good bonding opportunity to harvest and sort the plums. They had a fun time climbing the ladders and using the fruit pickers, and they definitely understood we had more than we could eat.”

Cobb thinks the experience is one the campers will be excited to share with their families back home, and it’s something she plans to coordinate next summer as well.

“We have a huge resource in our garden and old fruit trees, so we will definitely be donating apples and pears this fall,” she said. “I’d love to expand our raised bed space specifically to have campers help grow food for the food bank alongside the food that they use in their garden classes. I think it only enriches their experience at camp to understand Orcas as an ecosystem and not just a summer camp.”