Demand keeps growing for charity that helps feed hungry B.C. kids
Written for Daily Hive by Emily-anne King, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Backpack Buddies.
These days we’re all feeling it. The absolute sticker shock at the checkout when we are “running in for a few things.” Just the basics are adding up, let alone anything special for the holidays. Since 2019, the cost of groceries in B.C. has increased by 27 per cent, and that might mean choosing between food and rent. Some families are skipping meals or not eating at all.
We started Backpack Buddies 13 years ago when we learned from teachers about students who are struggling to pay attention or simply stay awake. And this struggle is most notable on Mondays. While school breakfast and lunch programs make a huge difference, the weekend hunger gap is real, as is our growing waitlist.
Backpack Buddies is a registered Canadian charity that works with teachers, administrators, and social workers to identify children and families who could benefit most from extra help. We get food to kids in 83 communities across B.C every Friday. By working with teachers to discreetly place bags of nutritious, kid-friendly food in backpacks, we’re able to help sustain kids over the weekend. Our approach never makes kids feel singled out.
Michael Lee/Backpack Buddies
The statistics tell the story of the challenges families are facing today. Our original delivery in 2012 of 20 bags of food to one school has grown to 6,800 bags per week of food delivered in 425 schools this year. That’s nearly 1.8 million meals this year alone. The most recent BC Child Poverty Report Card reveals an astounding 16.7 per cent of children—140,570 kids—in our communities are living below the poverty line. And for children living in lone-parent households, that rate skyrockets to 44 per cent.
Data from Statistics Canada confirms that this correlates with food insecurity. The most recent numbers from 2022 reveal that
Approximately 254,000 B.C. children are living in food-insecure households. Food insecurity can also be caused by “food deserts,” meaning a lack of access to affordable and nutritious food.
Food Banks Canada reports 62,481 visits by children in B.C. in 2023, with children making up 31 per cent of clients that year. While they provide a vital service, we know that food banks are also at capacity. This means they are only open certain hours and have to limit the number of visits per family each month. Many are not easily accessible and often have long waits. Some families new to Canada don’t have the required identification. Backpack Buddies meets children where they are — on Fridays, at school. This consistency is incredibly important for children and their well-being.
Michael Lee/Backpack Buddies
The next BC Child Poverty Report Card will be telling. On the ground, we are hearing about families who never expected to need help that are now at risk.
Through our main warehouse in North Vancouver, we serve schools throughout the Lower Mainland and Sea to Sky corridor, all the way to the Okanagan, Kootenays, Fraser Canyon, and Northern B.C. We also have a second warehouse on Vancouver Island serving more than 100 schools. But many more are waiting for the kind of help we offer.
Remote communities and those that have been hit hard by floods and wildfires represent some of the 1,500 kids on our waitlist. In a perfect world, grocery stores, stable employment, and affordable housing and childcare would be available to all. Until these systemic issues are addressed, Backpack Buddies will be here. With the ongoing generosity of our community, we can continue to fill more than backpacks – we’re filling B.C.’s kids with nutrition, energy, and hope.