“Camp Shady Pines” – Summer Camp from Hell!! Part 4

On the morning before Summer Camp was over we were all informed that the Kitchen stove was on the fritz and it was scheduled for repair later that day. 

So we were all given a Dixie cup of orange kool-aid and a root beer popsicle for breakfast. 

When lunch rolled around we received another cup of kool-aid and another popsicle. 

By dinner we were all ravenous with hunger. 

The smell of cooked food coming from the Cafeteria nearly caused a riotous stampede as we all rushed into the dining area. 

After we sat down we were given one small bowl of rice, a pencil and an envelope. 

Mr Swindells, wearing a Camp Shady Pines Sweatshirt, stood before us and in a very solemn voice intoned that we were receiving one bowl of rice – which was more than most starving children received in a day. 

“After you have eaten your rice – open your “Christian Hearts” and write down how much you’d like to donate to end World Hunger,” he tearfully said. 

Well, most of us were moved by his oration and we all scribbled down various amounts on the envelope with our names on it.

Once the envelopes were collected – We congratulated for our charity and assured all donations would be contributed to a “worthy cause.”

The kitchen staff then wheeled out trays of hot Dogs, baked beans, potato salad and pitchers of kool-aid. 

We were then assembled for one last enforced Camp Sing-a-long and a few phoney sounding speeches by our Camp Counselors.

My Mom and the Old Man picked me up the next afternoon and I spent the two hour trip home regaling them with the “Camp Horrors” I had experienced. 

Either they didn’t understand or my folks thought I was laying it on thick due to home sickness. 

“NO CAMP COULD BE THAT BAD, CHARLIE!” laughed my parents. 

It didn’t take long before my parents received a notice from the Camp regarding my “charitable donation.” 

The donation letter was ignored – as it considered a joke in bad taste. 

“They can’t be serious? Why that amount is more than we paid for Charlie’s week at Camp!” said my Mom.

A few weeks later – my parents began receiving collection notices threatening financial action if they didn’t pay up. 

The subject of Summer Camp was dropped for several years after that.