Make one simple resolution to be there for a child every Friday

Give Monthly

Become a monthly donor to fill a child’s
backpack with food every weekend all year long.

33%

of BC children face food insecurity

+1,500

hungry kids are on the Backpack Buddies waitlist

The ever-increasing cost of rent, household expenses and childcare has created an affordability emergency, and it has hit children the hardest. 

From the last bell on Friday until school starts on Monday, thousands of BC kids who count on school meals programs during the week face a weekend hunger gap.

Backpack Buddies fills this gap with food for the weekend: bags with 8 ready-to-eat meals, snacks, and fresh produce are tucked into backpacks as kids head home every Friday.

Schools quietly identify students who need help, volunteers fill the bags of food in our warehouses, and delivery trucks transport thousands of bags of food to over 425 BC schools every week.

Monthly donors—our Friday Club members—are vital to close this gap. They provide the predictable funding we need to promise food to more children, every single Friday, for as long as they need us.

Backpack Buddies

Born in North Vancouver in 2012, Backpack Buddies is now a province-wide team with thousands of parents, teachers, truck drivers, donors, volunteers, food producers, and partners who are stepping up to make sure BC’s most vulnerable children don’t have to worry about empty cupboards at home.

From our warehouses in North Vancouver and Victoria, we source food, marshal hundreds of volunteers to pack bags of food, and work hand-in-hand with schools so every child’s food delivery is discreet and stigma free.

Your consistent support powers our Mission

Monthly donors provide the reliable funding that allows us to feed 6,800 children every Friday — and reach the 1,500+ kids still waiting for help.

When you give $100 a month, you’re ensuring that a hungry child has the food they need to last the weekend — every weekend. Every monthly gift goes towards:

Food

Hearty meals, fresh fruit & veggies, milk, nutritious snacks, and more – easily accessible food for growing kids.

Logistics & Transportation

1,000,500 pounds of food moved through our warehouses and on our trucks last year.

School & Community Outreach

Building our network of Buddies so more kids get the food they need.

Join the Friday Club

The Friday Club is Backpack Buddies’ monthly giving community – the heartbeat of our program.

When you join the Friday Club, your reliable support helps us make a simple promise to families: when school doors close for the weekend, food will be there for as long as you need us.

That consistency matters. Every $100 monthly donation means one more child we can reliably serve every week.

In 13 years, we have never missed a weekend. Not once. Every Friday, 6,800 children across BC head home with food in their backpacks, knowing they can count on us.

Showing up changes everything. Will you join us?

Join the Friday Club

Or click here to give a one-time gift.

  • “I knew I wanted to bring our giving closer to home. There is a need everywhere, but there is a huge need in our own community. Focusing our family’s giving close by — to support our own neighbours — is important to us right now. It breaks my heart that there are so many kids in our community here in North Vancouver that go hungry every day. No parent should have to choose whether they feed their kids or keep a roof over their heads. To be able to give to Backpack Buddies and help alleviate stress on families in our community is huge.”

    Sarah

    Monthly Donor

  • “My mom, Marg, couldn’t stand the idea of hungry kids. She started a milk program at our school in the 1950s. She convinced a local dairy to supply little cartons of milk to every student. If you could pay then a carton of milk was $0.10. If you couldn’t pay, you got your carton of milk anyways. Feeding people—particularly children—has always been a priority for me. When I saw Backpack Buddies, I knew that I wanted to be involved. I give monthly to continue my family’s legacy of always welcoming a hungry child to the table.”

    Linda

    Monthly Donor

  • “My husband and I grew up in East Vancouver both with single moms, so we know how hard it can be for parents—especially now. We are privileged to be able to afford all of our son’s needs and we want to give back. I was inspired how above and beyond your charity went to deliver meals to families in need. We are happy to support that passion and dedication to our community by being members of The Friday Club.”

    Melanie

    Vancouver

  • “A lot of kids are in environments where food isn’t a first priority—therefore, other adults in the community need to step up to ensure that they are getting the support these kids aren’t able to get at home. For me, The Friday Club makes giving simple and easy. In life, things fall through the cracks—but giving to ensure kids are fed is too important to me to let it slip by.”

    Mike

    Monthly Donor

Frequently Asked Questions

From our perspective, all of it does. When you make a $25 donation, $13 pays for food; $7.35 pays for the warehouse, vehicles, and people that get the food into the hands of children; $4.15 helps to engage with schools and the community so we can help even more children; and $0.50 makes sure we fulfill our responsibilities like providing tax receipts and managing our finances properly. We make sure that every dollar provides food security for children in our program today and helps us reach more children across BC every year.

Yes! Our Canadian charitable number is: 837443233 RR0001. We are officially called Community First Foundation and we do business as Backpack Buddies.

Yes you can. On the donation form, simply choose the region from the drop-down menu and your donation will provide food for children in that area.

At any time you can reach our Donor Relations team to adjust your monthly gift at info@backpackbuddies.ca or 604-807-0347. We are here to help. Or, if you still have the original email you received after joining the Friday Club, follow the “Cancel Your Gift” link to simply stop your monthly transactions.