Our Story

Emily-anne King

Co-Founder and Executive Director

• Mail

After years of working in the for-profit sector, Emily-anne made the switch to the charitable sector and founded Backpack Buddies in 2012 with her mom, Joanne. Backpack Buddies started off with the duo dropping off bags of food every Friday to a dozen students at an East Vancouver elementary school. Today, Emily-anne leads a team that reaches over 6,800 hungry children every week across BC. Emily-anne believes that every child should know where their next meal will come from and passionately engages donors, volunteers and other champions to join the cause. Together with the Backpack Buddies team, she is passionate about serving local communities and believes we can all make an impact in the neighbourhood we live in. Emily-anne and her husband are parents to two little kids and call North Vancouver home.

Joanne Griffiths

Co-Founder and Director of Strategic Partnerships

• Mail

Joanne has devoted her life to the betterment of children’s lives. She has been involved in community projects most of her professional career and is a founding member of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. In 2012, Joanne and her daughter, Emily-anne, discovered the need of children from inner-city schools for food on weekends. Joanne recruited the school that her children had attended in West Vancouver to help fundraise and pack Backpack Buddies’ first 20 bags of food in the spring of 2012. Joanne’s passion is her children and grandchildren. She enjoys spending time outside with them.

Lorraine Winchester

Director of Operations

• Mail

Lorraine spent most of her career in print media and marketing, leading program and production teams. After 26 years, Lorraine decided to make a move to the non-profit sector and found her skill set and qualifications perfectly matched an opportunity available with Backpack Buddies. She is passionate about serving our communities and is the proud mom of two amazing daughters. Lorraine couldn’t be happier to be part of the amazing Backpack Buddies team!

Lindsay Burke

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

• Mail

Coming Soon.

Kristoffer Fransson

Warehouse Supervisor

• Mail

Kristoffer, or Kif as he’s known by many, was born in Sweden but raised on the North Shore. Since completing his business degree, he worked in several roles in different sectors before landing his job at Backpack Buddies. Kristoffer feels lucky that he has the opportunity to create a role for himself within the organization. You will find him working all over the warehouse, on the road in the new truck, or behind a computer screen making sure everything goes smoothly in the warehouse and bag processes. What motivates Kristoffer is knowing the hard work they all do at the Backpack Buddies really makes a difference in the community.

Allison Grice

Program & Volunteer Coordinator

Allison comes from a long line of people-focused work and has more than 20 years experience working in non-profit and community service work. She has a genuine heart for helping others and is passionate about building relationships. Allison has also led children and youth programming and is grateful to bring this experience with her to Backpack Buddies where we host schools, groups of youth, and work with a Kids Helping Kids approach. 

When she isn’t at work, Allison loves spending time with her husband and daughters, trail runs, and cooking.

David Grice

Director of Creative Marketing

• Mail

Coming soon.

Camille Griffiths

Intern

Camille (she/her) joined Backpack Buddies with a passion for community impact and a desire to support meaningful, hands-on work addressing child food insecurity. As an intern, she supports a range of initiatives across communications, events, and operations, helping bring the organization’s work to life. She is especially passionate about creating thoughtful, engaging experiences that connect people to the mission and make a tangible difference for children and families.

Pat Jenkins

Transportation Supervisor

• Mail

Born and raised on the North Shore and previously working in the Parks and Recreation department for various government municipalities, Pat has always had a passion for the outdoors. When he learned about Backpack Buddies, he jumped at the opportunity to help make a positive difference in the community he grew up in. As the Warehouse & Transportation Manager, you can find Pat stocking shelves, working with school and community partners, and on the road, making deliveries. Getting to see the impact he is having first hand, and the smiles on children’s faces, is the most rewarding part for Pat. In his off time, Pat enjoys attending music festivals and sitting in the Southside at Whitecaps games.

Nola Laubach 

Executive Assistant & Office Manager

Coming Soon.

Shakeel Lalani

Warehouse Operations Coordinator

Before landing at Backpack Buddies, Shakeel (commonly known as ‘Shak’) journeyed through various warehousing positions, most with a focus on Shipping/Receiving. With that knowledge of logistics and operational flow, both locally and internationally, he has been able to work with his outstanding team members to solidify and further expand the support for food-insecure communities across B.C.. As the organization grows and presents new challenges, he will be able to confidently dive head-first into the fray knowing that the entire team will rise to the occasion together.

Laara Losier

Program Coordinator – South Island

• Mail

With nearly 20 years as a fundraiser, event planner and volunteer coordinator in the charitable sector, Laara jumped at the chance to help fight child hunger as a Program Coordinator with Backpack Buddies. You can find her stocking shelves, packing bags alongside volunteers or working with schools and partners at the Victoria warehouse.

Melodie Mallinder

 Director of Development 

Melodie (she/her) discovered fundraising over 16 years ago while volunteering with women & families in the Downtown Eastside and has been learning and (unlearning) ever since. She’s passionate about supporting communities in addressing poverty and food insecurity, championing human kindness. With care and curiosity, she strives to build lasting relationships, collaborating to develop thoughtful strategies to engage donors, strengthen community connections, and create meaningful impact.

As a mom, she hopes to instill in her kids the same love and strength she experienced growing up with a strong single mom. Outside of work, her favourite place is at the beach, paddleboarding when she can.

Jamie McCracken

Warehouse Associate & OH&S REp

• Mail

Jamie joined Backpack Buddies in early 2021. You’ll often find him in the warehouse supporting our amazing volunteers, delivering throughout the community, and collaborating with our school partners. Be sure to say hello!

Luke Porcellato

Warehouse Associate

Coming Soon.

Raphael Saradetch

Community Delivery Driver – South Island

Coming Soon.

Noah Stuart

Donor Processing Assistant

Born and raised in East Vancouver, Noah joined Backpack Buddies in 2024 after graduating from the University of British Columbia. With previous experience in human rights advocacy and program development, Noah is passionate about supporting local communities and ensuring BC kids have equitable access to food. As a member of the donor relations team, Noah assists with a range of activities, including communications and outreach, peer-to-peer fundraising, and data processing.

Dana Winchester

Operations Coordinator

Dana first got involved with Backpack Buddies in 2019, writing thank-you cards and packing bags of food during the pandemic. After graduating from Simon Fraser University, she continued her commitment to supporting children in her community by joining the organization full-time on the operations team. In her role, she helps coordinate weekly deliveries, ensuring all requested bags are packed and delivered to kids across BC. Dana is passionate about fighting food insecurity and is proud to help ensure all children have access to the nourishment they need to succeed.