Nutrition + Wellness
Eating at Camp Matoaka can’t get any better! We are a nut-free camp. This means we don’t cook with or use any ingredients that contain or may contain any nuts. And, we don’t allow on camp any food items which may contain nuts. If you are concerned about your child’s food choices while at camp, please feel free to contact Leslie Silberman or the Food Allergy Coach. We will be more than happy to discuss alternatives for your child!
Meals
At Camp Matoaka, we’re here to help your daughter fuel her day the right way by providing a variety of options at each meal. Meals are served buffet style, encouraging your child to make independent mealtime decisions, while being guided by counselors. During breakfast, we offer a main hot meal that changes daily, but we also provide a fruit bar with yogurt and homemade granola, as well as hot and cold cereal options each day, and homemade toast. At lunch and dinner, we again have a hot meal, but also provide a sandwich and salad bar that allows picky eaters and others to find something that she may enjoy better. There also are two soup options provided at lunch, one of which is always gluten-free and vegetarian. To get a better idea of what means are offered, check out the Sample Menu below.
Our Kitchen Staff
Our Kitchen Staff, led by our Kitchen Manager of 30+ years, are very attentive to the needs of our campers and will help your child with most mealtime concerns. We’re able to accommodate most food allergies or restrictions, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, soy-free, dairy-free, etc. Our Food Allergy Coach is available at all meal times and during daily snack, if your child has any questions or concerns about the contents of any food or isn’t finding an option that she enjoys. If you have any questions about the menu for the upcoming summer, please feel free to reach out to Leslie who can walk you through the daily meals and snacks.
Snacks
In addition to our three meals, whole fruit is available throughout the day in our Dining Hall. We also offer the girls a protein-rich snack at 3 pm to continue to give them energy for the rest of the day. Three times per week, we offer “Canteen,” a treat that the campers request during Clean-Up and receive after Lunch during Rest Hour. The choices available range from items that are sweet to items that are savory, and do not exceed more than a single serving. We also have milk and cookies (aka Kilk and Mookies) after evening activity most nights - A Matoaka tradition since 1951!
Dining Hall
Every morning, we eat breakfast by bunk. However, for lunch and dinner, campers and staff are assigned tables each week. This allows our older and younger girls to get to know one another, and more importantly, it gives our older girls an opportunity to teach our younger campers our cheers and songs we sing together after every meal! We generally have 8-10 girls per table with 2-3 staff members. We also enjoy eating meals lakeside each week by bunk.
Health Center Staff
Our Health Center is staffed with five, live-in registered nurses, a health center administrator, a food allergy coach, a child psychologist, and a Nurse Practitioner, who makes on-site visits on a daily or on-call basis, and works with a Pediatrician in town. We are proud of the way our nursing staff helps all sick campers feel at home, and are always available to speak to parents.
Health Center
The air-conditioned health center is a comfortable place where campers receive professional medical care and treatment and can take a respite from normal camp life when deemed necessary. There are two private, spacious exam rooms, isolation rooms, semi-private rooms, and a group room. When it is necessary to seek care off-campus, the Mid Maine Medical Hospital is located just nine miles from camp and we are covered on the 911 system. Our nurses will contact you if your daughter will be spending the night in the Health Center or if she needs to seek medical care beyond what our on-site, Health Team can provide.
Food allergy coach who manages gluten-free, vegetarian, and other specialty meals
Nurses on staff
who care for our campers
Miles away from
the nearest hospital
Homemade cookies
our kitchen bakes each summer