Over the weekend, children in food insecure households often don’t eat properly, or at all.

Hungry children suffer in secret because they are the least likely to ask for help from teachers or other adults in their lives for fear that their parents will get into trouble.

Consistent hunger, even just over the weekend, can be crippling for children and set a child back for life. Kids who arrive to class hungry can lose up to two hours of productivity per school day. They are also:

• Two to four times more likely to have poorer health or a diagnosed chronic condition;

• At greater risk of developing depression and suicidal ideation in adolescence years due the ever-present sense of instability and insecurity;

• More likely to struggle with obesity and other long-term health challenges;

• Exhibit higher rates of behavioural problems, psychosocial deficits, higher levels of anxiety and depression;

• Experience developmental impairments in areas of language and motor skills;

• More likely to repeat a grade;

• Struggle with social and behavioural challenges;

• And, counter-intuitively, are more likely to be overweight due to poor diet and overeating due to the unpredictability of food.

While vulnerable students may take advantage of school-based meal programs during the week, few supports exist on weekends, when many kids suffer in secret.

Backpack Buddies, alongside the support of community of donors, volunteers and caring partners, address this crisis by discreetly providing bags of food to students in need every Friday, with enough meals and snacks to last the entire weekend.

Children who eat over the weekend:

• Exhibit improved memory, reduced absenteeism, and improved overall mood

• Are able to focus better on their lessons and participate more fully in class

• Are able to relate to their peers better through cooperation and working in teams

• Are able to really be kids and not worry about where their next meal is coming from

• Have less stressed out parents

When a child is given a backpack of food on Friday, they return to school on Monday replenished and ready to learn. We also know that when we provide food for children, parents and other adults in the household also get the chance to eat since there is more food to go around.

Just $20 feeds a hungry kid today.

Families across BC living in poverty struggle to keep food on the table over the weekends when school meal programs are closed.

For over 5,000 families, Backpack Buddies provides a weekly bag of food including meals and snacks to feed children the weekend and beyond. From seaweed snacks and hummus to sweet peppers and tuna, our bags are loaded with kid-approved food to keep kids growing.

Partnerships with B.C. schools are critical to our collaborative approach to feeding hungry kids.

The Backpack Buddies program is coordinated through teachers, administrators and social workers who advise us on the needs of their students and help identify the children who could benefit most from receiving a bag of food for the weekend.

Their trucks drive through Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island delivering bags of food to Recipient Schools on Friday morning. The deliveries are met by school administrators who take them to the school counsellor’s office or another location for discrete and confidential distribution to students as they leave for home Friday afternoon.

They are mindful that children receiving support never feel singled out and that no one is made to feel like there’s something wrong or abnormal about their family’s circumstances.

Backpack Buddies gets kids involved in philanthropy through fundraising, volunteering and community building.

Through their Buddy School Program, they connect with schools in Metro Vancouver that have capacity to fundraise and volunteer to pack bags of food for children in need.

The program is coordinated through teachers, administrators and parents. Students at Buddy Schools are responsible for raising awareness about child hunger, fundraising, and investing volunteer hours in packing bags for hungry children in their community.

What is the weekend hunger gap?

In food insecure households, many children rely heavily on school meal programs but over the weekend may not eat at all until schools start again on Monday. This is the “weekend hunger gap”. Backpack Buddies addresses this crisis by filling backpacks every Friday for students in need with enough meals and snacks to last the weekend.

What’s in a Backpack Buddies Bag?

Our bags contain meal items plus fresh fruit, veggies and healthy snacks, enough to last a child an entire weekend and beyond. Each item is child-friendly and easily consumable, meaning that if an adult is not present, the child is able to prepare the meal for themselves.

Do you use actual backpacks?

We pack our bags in disposable, biodegradable plastic bags that children can easily put into their backpacks every Friday before they go home. These bags also ensure that we’re able to follow hygiene protocols and maintain anonymity and discretion.

How do you choose the kids who will receive your bags?

Our partnerships with BC schools and districts are critical to ensuring that children gain access to the food they need for the weekend. We work with teachers, administrators, and social workers who advise us on the needs of their students and help identify those who could benefit most from receiving a bag.

How much does a bag cost?

It costs just $20 to fill a bag. Each bag contains enough meal items plus fresh fruit, veggies and snacks to last a child the entire weekend.

How do bags get to kids?

Our trucks and transportation partners drive through Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and the Sunshine Coast delivering bags of food to recipient schools on Friday mornings. The deliveries are met by a school representative who takes them to a discrete location for distribution to students as they head home on Friday afternoons.

Where do you get your food from?

The majority of the food we provide in our bags is purchased from our food partner Save On Foods. We use our strong buying power to purchase the food at cost or less. We also have wonderful supplier partnerships with companies like FreeYumm, who contribute in-kind donations to our program.