Frito-Lay employees from the company’s Core and East plants in Frankfort marked Earth Day 2026 by spending Wednesday morning tackling maintenance and cleanup projects at Camp Cullom between Frankfort and Mulberry.
About 20 Frito-Lay volunteers traded their production lines for tree lines this week, spreading out across Camp Cullom’s 90 wooded acres to pull invasive plants, repair a heavily used stairway on the disc golf course, spruce up the Prairie Grass Observatory, and clear out a key storage building.
Camp Cullom’s mission
Camp Cullom (Clinton County Foundation for Youth-a 501 C-3 Corporation), owned in trust for the children of Clinton County, operates as a United Way for Clinton County partner agency focused on the health and educational needs of area youth and families. The 90‑acre property features a lodge, nature center, ponds, more than five miles of marked trails and a 24‑hole disc golf course that has been recognized as one of the top courses in Indiana. The camp also hosts the Prairie Grass Observatory, a public astronomy site that draws visitors for special events such as the Indiana Family Star Party.
Four volunteer teams at work
Frito-Lay’s Earth Day crew was divided into four teams to make progress on projects that camp leaders say would otherwise take weeks of volunteer labor. The “Invasive Plant” team hiked into the woods to pull and bag invasive species competing with native wildflowers and undergrowth, helping maintain a healthy forest habitat for wildlife and visitors.
At the same time, the “Stairway to Heaven” team focused on a long wooden stairway that connects two holes on the disc golf course and provides access along a steep ravine. Volunteers removed decayed treads and replaced them with new treated lumber, improving safety on a structure used heavily by disc golfers and hikers alike.
A third group, the “Observatory Team,” scraped and painted wheelchair ramps and a binocular post and warming room door at Prairie Grass Observatory, which offers dark-sky views and public star‑gazing programs throughout the year. Fresh paint on the ramps and railings will help protect the structures and keep the observatory accessible for school groups, scout troops and the general public.
Storage shed cleanout
The fourth crew, dubbed the “Ranger Hoppy storage shed clean‑out team,” spent the morning sorting, organizing and hauling out debris from a large storage building used to support camp operations. Volunteers filled a dumpster with outdated or unusable items, making room for equipment and supplies that will be needed for the busy summer camping and program season. Camp leaders said the extra space will make it easier for the on‑site ranger and volunteers to respond quickly to maintenance needs across the property.
Corporate and community ties
Frito-Lay’s Frankfort facilities employ hundreds of workers and participate in community projects in Clinton County. Company representatives said the Earth Day effort at Camp Cullom reflects the plants’ ongoing focus on environmental stewardship and local partnerships. For Camp Cullom, where camping and many youth programs are offered free to Clinton County families, days like this help stretch limited nonprofit resources while keeping the camp safe and welcoming for the children, families and the organizations that use it.
Camp Cullom has over 20,000 visits annually and is home to several events and activities:
- Annual Maple Syrup Festival Pancake Breakfast with Syrup made from Camp Cullom Maple trees
- Annual Chili Supper, Fall Foliage Discovery Hikes with last Observatory Open House of the year
- Camp Cullom Academy of Science for area 5th graders
- Observatory Open House nights
- Glover’s Ice Cream Social
- Disc Golf Play and Tournements
- Nature Center open with, this summer, a staff Naturalist (First Year! More coming on that!)
- Scout Camporees
- Cross Country track
- 5 miles of marked trails
- 15 acres of Blue Stem Prairie Grass
- Indiana Family Star Party-Largest gathering of amateur astronomers (and families interested in astronomy) in Indiana.
More at: CampCullom.org and IndianaStars.com