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Impact

Feeding BC’s Most Vulnerable Kids

Every week, we feed over 5,000 hungry kids across our province.

We feed thousands of kids a week

With a growing network of schools and distribution partners across BC, Backpack Buddies gets bags of food into the hands of over 5,000 kids every Friday. This means many will no longer wonder where their next meal is coming from.

5,300

kids reached every week

347

schools and distribution partners

63

communities

1,250,000

meals delivered in 2022/23

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Supporting Remote Communities

GOING THE DISTANCE FOR KIDS

Our partnership with Helicopters Without Borders enables us to feed hungry kids in BC’s most remote communities. Bags of food and boxes of fresh produce have been airlifted to remote Indigenous partner communities like Kitasoo, Wuikinuxv, Klahoose, and Bella Bella. 

  • We respond to natural disasters. After the 2021 BC floods, we jumped into action airlifting food, pet food, and personal care items to remote communities across BC.
  • Partnerships with remote communities where food insecurity is a significant challenge is a key area for expansion for Backpack Buddies.

Impact You Can Count On

This is what parents and teachers are saying about the difference Backpack Buddies makes in their families and communities every week.

  • “It can be really hard to ask for help. But Backpack Buddies is discrete and respectful. You just go in and pick it up. No questions asked. As a single mother, that support means everything when times are tough. ”

    Bertie

    Vancouver

  • “Backpack Buddies is essential to so many families. Many kids are facing tough challenges behind closed doors at home. They need extra food to get them through the week or the month.”

    Lori

    North Vancouver

  • “It’s a big relief that the bags come right home with them. It removes the barriers I have faced in trying to get to the Food Bank and lining up for food handouts. For me, Backpack Buddies provides consistent, reliable support that our family can count on.”

    Frieda

    Vancouver

  • “On Fridays at École Gabrielle-Roy, the bags of food are dropped off at reception. Our school counselor takes them to her office and the children come to collect them at the end of the day. We want it to be as anonymous and confidential as possible. I’ve heard from the parents. They are very happy to have food for their children.”

    Claude Martin

    Principal at École Gabrielle-Roy

Rescued Food

REDUCING WASTE AND SUPPORTING SUSTAINABILITY

The majority of our food is purchased on a predictable schedule from suppliers. However, we also rescue safe, edible food that would otherwise go to waste from local grocery stores. By including rescued food in our weekly bags of food we can:

  • Increase food variety in our bags at no cost.
  • Reduce food costs overall so we can stretch every dollar further to feed more kids.
  • Support environmental sustainability by reducing waste from local food suppliers.

Your Support Changes Lives

When you give to Backpack Buddies, you make a long-lasting difference for hungry kids and their families. Get to know some of our families and learn what food on Fridays means to them.

View All Stories

  • Meet Shannon

    The reality is that there are a lot of people who are living paycheck to paycheck every month in this community. There are a lot of families—a lot of kids—who need help.

    Keep Reading

  • Meet Sarah, Brook & Paige

    In the middle of the pandemic, Sarah was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis—a chronic, incurable, autoimmune disease that causes significant decreases in mobility.  Sarah was introduced to Backpack Buddies through her daughters’ elementary school. A counsellor knew they were struggling and took the simple step of including them in the group of kids that receive Backpack…

    Keep Reading

Where We Work

Feeding hungry kids across BC requires a strong network of partnerships with schools. Teachers, administrators, and social workers advise us on the needs of their students and discreetly identify the children at their schools who could benefit most from receiving a bag of food for the weekend.

Read our 2022/23 Community Impact Report

TRANSPARENCY AND TRUST

We are fuelled by a compassionate, generous community of donors who support us in reaching BC’s most vulnerable children. Every year, we publish a Community Impact Report, prioritizing financial transparency and giving our donors a clear picture of the impact they’re making in the lives of kids.

Read the Report

Make a Difference Today

Feed Hungry Kids

Join us as a donor. Pack bags as a volunteer. Get your company connected. Whatever you do, when you get involved with Backpack Buddies, you will be putting hope back on the table for hungry kids across BC.

Get Involved

There are lots of ways to get involved with Backpack Buddies. Join us and explore how you can make a difference in the lives of hungry kids in your own community and across BC.

Get Started

Donate to Backpack Buddies

Give today and provide hungry kids with meals and snacks for the weekend and beyond.

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