Parents organize, prepare, and cook weekly meals for the Camas High School football team – Unity Dinners – and this year they were able to do it 14 times for a team about to play for a state championship

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

It is a celebration every week of the football season.

It has everything to do with football, but nothing to do with the football field.

The game is the common bond for everyone in the room — players, coaches, parents — but no one is keeping score.

Well, other than the fact that the Camas Papermakers got 14 of these celebrations this year.

That’s a big number. That’s a perfect number. That’s a championship-game worthy number.

At Camas, they are called Unity Dinners. The Thursday before every game, parents prepare, cook, and serve the football team.

“It’s really important for us to connect on a level that is deeper than the field,” said senior Beau Harlan. 

He noted that many of the Papermakers are best friends outside of football, and through these meals, others have become best friends.

“It’s truly a blessing,” senior Ayden Jones said. “It’s a time to appreciate what we have.”

“For me, it’s team building,” said senior Ryan Criddle. “Being able to sit at the table with your best friends that you build these connections with, it’s really something special to share the laughs together.”

Criddle might be one of the most popular people in Camas leading up to the dinners. He knows the “secrets,” after all. His mother Julie organizes the weekly meals and his dad Bill is the executive chef. A lot of the Papermakers ask Ryan what’s on the menu.

Julie and Bill have been part of these dinners for years, having two older sons — Tyler and Nathan — who played football for the Papermakers. 

Don’t tell anyone, but Julie said she planned out 12 dinners back in August, believing Camas was going to go on a long playoff run this season.

She was right, of course, and then she had to add two more dinners.

Camas sits at 13-0 and will be playing in Week 14, the Class 4A state championship game, at 7 p.m. Saturday in Seattle. 

That’s 14 weeks of football, which means 14 Unity Dinners..

“It’s quite the undertaking, but it’s also rewarding,” Julie Criddle said. 

Of course, she has a lot of help, recruiting other parents to support the cause. There are also fundraising efforts. After all, it costs a lot to feed 80 or so people every week.

The parents get paid, as well, but not in any monetary form.

“You just constantly hear (the players) saying, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’ They realize the good that they have and the support from the community. It touches your heart. I’m just glad to be a part of it,” Julie said.

Football is family. Family is football. It is not just a cliche for the Papermakers and the parents.

“My husband is a huge, integral part,” Julie said of Bill, who loves cooking on his grill. “We feel tied to the program.”

With Ryan being a senior, this week was the final Unity Dinner with Julie in charge.

“It’s bittersweet, knowing it’s my last one,” she said. “It’s emotional. I’m grateful to have been part of it. The Camas football program has done amazing things for my boys over the years.”

Julie and Bill will still help out, no doubt. This is not something one can just quit. Julie said she will aid with the transition to the next mom who takes over all the planning.

“I want the legacy to continue,” Julie said.

“It’s community,” said Camas coach Adam Mathieson. “It’s not anything that is led by the coaches. What’s great about the organization that we have here is there are so many people who are willing to step up and take roles and just own it. To have people that are so invested and just want to serve, and to do it for 14 weeks …”

Mathieson paused, and chuckled as he considered all that goes into creating meals for so many for so long.

“I mean, prepping food for 60 to 80 people for 14 weeks in a row? That’s amazing. I hope our kids understand what a blessing it is,” he said.

The Papermakers do, indeed, understand.

“They don’t lose value. I’m just as excited to go this week as I was in Week 1,” Jones said Wednesday after practice.

Jones said that there are some Thursdays that he intentionally eats less during the day before practice just so he can fully enjoy the Unity Dinner.

For the meal before Senior Night, the parents also showed a video of players from their younger days, growing up in Camas.

“They cooked us steaks. They played a highlight reel. It was really emotional,” Harlan said. “It was a really good sum-up of our journey together.”

Ryan Criddle appreciates all the moments that go beyond just eating a great meal.

“Seeing all the parents, when we show up, cheering us on. We’re doing the fight song, and they’re singing it along with us and taking videos,” Ryan said.

Those are the memories that add to an already special football season for the Camas Papermakers.