Backpack Buddies

It’s time for an inspiring storytime! Did you know that Backpack Buddies started with just one humble idea? This spark of inspiration has now helped thousands of kids across your province. ⁠ ⁠ “We were inspired by a conversation we had with an outreach worker at a school in East Vancouver. We asked her what her one wish for her students was and she said to be able to send them home on the weekend with food to eat. So we decided we were going to try and help!” - Emily-anne, Backpack Buddies Co-Founder and Vice-President⁠ ⁠ In 2012, mother-daughter duo Joanne and Emily-Anne went to Collingwood School in West Vancouver with an idea: what if we could build connection, empathy and a stronger sense of community among young people while addressing one of our province’s most pressing, hidden issues: childhood hunger?⁠ ⁠ The teachers and students at Collingwood were unanimously on board, and so Backpack Buddies was born to help B.C.’s most vulnerable children by filling the weekend hunger gap. ⁠ ⁠ ❤️Fast forward 9 years, today Backpack Buddies works with schools, social workers and other non-profits across B.C. to deliver food directly to kids who need it most and tackle the weekend hunger gap head on. We also continue to engage young people in giving and volunteering through our Buddy School Program in Metro Vancouver. ⁠ ⁠ “I always dreamed that the program would grow to be this size (and hopefully much bigger!) but I never expected it to happen as quickly as it has, especially over the last 18 months. It feels amazing to see the growth we have achieved. However, it's a hard thing to reconcile because that growth and success implies that kids are hungry. So while I am so proud, I also wish that ultimately we didn't have to do this work and that kids were not hungry.”⁠ ⁠ 🙏This school year, we will be feeding up to 4,000 kids across the province every single week. Thank YOU for helping make that possible and for being a part of our BPB family. You’re helping your community, one backpack of food at a time!

Do you remember your first day of school? This back to school season Four-year-old Elizabeth is going to Kindergarten for the first time! It’s a monumental milestone for every parent. However, the stress of back to school weighed on her mom Francis, who was worried about the added costs of School Season and the financial strain on the family. “You know, like not being able to provide food for your kid is probably one of the worst feelings in the world. They're whining, they're hungry. And there's just nothing in the cupboards here. And you don't have any money to go shopping. It's just one of the worst feelings in the world.” As a single mom, Francis always faced powerful pressures that prevented her from keeping the fridge full—but the impact of the pandemic pushed her to new limits. And unfortunately, this has only gotten worse. “You just feel really less confident when there is no food in the house, and it just makes you question being a parent. Half the time, I would open the fridge and there wouldn't be something for her that she needs. And the grocery prices seem to have doubled, if not tripled over the last year. It’s been a rough ride and COVID just made things a lot worse.” Francis works incredibly hard to provide for her child, but sometimes we can all use support. She says she’s grateful for Backpack Buddies, because she sees firsthand our impact. “It’s hard for me sometimes to feel like I'm being a good mom. So having these programs like Backpack Buddies really helps us. It does take the stress off of being a single mom. I was raised by a single mom as well. It's not something that I ever imagined would happen to me or wanted for my life. But sometimes life happens, and you don't really have control over everything. So we really depend on these resources and that's why Backpack Buddies is so important to me.” 🥰 We love journeying alongside strong, caring moms like Francis! Drop an encouraging comment for Francis and Elizabeth as they gear up for back to school. P.S. Did you know right now all donations are being doubled? Big thanks to The Quiet Cove Foundation, which is pledging to match $100,000 in donations made during Back to School.

Food is life. We deliver up to 4,000 bags of food every week to hungry kids across BC and we’re giving you a BTS look into some of the yummy, nourishing food items that we put into our bags. Together we can fuel growing kids and fuel strong communities, one bag of food at a time!

Right now, every gift to Backpack Buddies will be matched dollar-for-dollar by TD Bank Group up to $50,000. That means: $50 = a week of food for 2 kids $400 = Food all summer long for 2 kids Your support helps twice as many children get the food they need this summer. But this match won’t last forever. 👉 Double your impact today. https://www.backpackbuddies.ca/hunger-doesnt-take-the-summer-off #HungerDoesntTakeTheSummerOff #BackpackBuddiesBC #FoodInsecurity #SummerHungerGap #EndChildhoodHunger #KidsInBC #BC

A few years after starting Backpack Buddies, co-founders Emily-anne and Joanne visited an elementary school on the last day before summer break. School was out. Summer was beginning. But something felt different. The excitement they expected just wasn’t there. Then a teacher quietly explained: “For many of our students, summer isn’t a break — it’s full of worries.” Because when school closes, many children lose access to the meals they rely on. That moment stayed with them. And it helped shape what Backpack Buddies is building today. This summer, when school’s out, Backpack Buddies is stepping in. 💛 Help give kids food they can count on this summer. https://www.backpackbuddies.ca/hunger-doesnt-take-the-summer-off #HungerDoesntTakeTheSummerOff #BackpackBuddiesBC #FoodInsecurity #SummerHungerGap #EndChildhoodHunger #KidsInBC #BC

Some kids worry about food at home. It’s not always visible, and it can exist in any community. In this series, we’re sharing what childhood hunger really looks like, why it happens, and what it means for kids across BC. Follow-along with us this spring. Because when we understand it, we can do something about it. This post is part of our series: Understanding Childhood Hunger. #HungerDoesntTakeTheSummerOff #UnderstandingChildhoodHunger #BackpackBuddiesBC #FoodInsecurity #SummerHungerGap #EndChildhoodHunger #KidsInBC #BC

A moment to celebrate & a chance to give back. This Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, we’re partnering with @backpackbuddiesbc to help ensure children in our community don’t go hungry on weekends. A portion of proceeds from these services will be donated to support their incredible work. We are fully booked this Mother’s Day, and deeply grateful that every table will help make a difference. 🩵 If you’d like to learn more about their mission and the impact they’re making in our community, please visit the link in our bio.

As we celebrate National Volunteer Week, we’re reflecting on the incredible community behind Backpack Buddies. This past year, approximately 1,200 volunteers contributed over 2,300 hours, helping ensure children across British Columbia have access to food on weekends. Behind every number is time given, care shared, and a commitment to showing up for kids and families in our communities. To each of you who volunteers with us — thank you. This work simply wouldn’t be possible without you. #NationalVolunteerWeek

We’re honoured to share the 35th Annual Women’s Memorial March, led by Indigenous women and hosted through Carnegie Community Centre. This annual march honours the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people (MMIWG2S+) and calls our community to remembrance, reflection, and action. February 14, 2026 Downtown Eastside, Vancouver Visit Carnegie's page for more information. We stand in solidarity and encourage our community to learn more and help spread awareness. 💜 #WomensMemorialMarch #MMIWG2S #CommunityCare #TruthAndReconciliation

January is almost over. Resolutions fade. Life gets busy. But hunger doesn’t take weekends off. Quiet Hope is about choosing care that keeps showing up, long after January ends. If this feels like the resolution worth keeping, the door is still open. 💛 Keep hope showing up. Join the Friday Club today at the link in our bio.

When life feels uncertain, consistency changes everything. For families like Louisa and Mateo’s, knowing food would be there every weekend didn’t just fill cupboards. It eased fear. It created stability. It gave space to breathe. Right now, more than 1,500 children in BC are waiting for that same reliability. The Friday Club exists to help close that gap by showing up quietly and consistently. 💛 Care that shows up every weekend

Sometimes, hope isn’t loud. For one family, it looked like a backpack filled with food coming home every Friday. Meals. Snacks. Familiar food a child could count on. No headlines. No attention. Just something steady. That’s quiet hope. And it shows up week after week. 💛 Show up for BC kids every month by clicking the link in our bio.