Give kids food they can count on.

Every Friday, children across BC who would otherwise go hungry know Backpack Buddies will be there for them with food for the weekend.

This holiday season, help ensure that when a child asks, “Is today Backpack Buddies day?” the answer is always

1 in 3 BC children experiences food insecurity.

School meal programs can help during the week, but on Friday, many kids face nearly three days without enough to eat.

You Can Fill a Backpack for a Hungry Child

Your donation today means kids head home on Fridays with backpacks filled with nourishing meals, snacks, and fresh produce for the whole weekend.

Just $25 fills a child’s backpack with all the food they need for the weekend.

Friday is Backpack Buddies Day

Every Friday, Backpack Buddies sends 7,200 children home with food for the weekend. But thousands more are still waiting. This January, we hope to close the weekend hunger gap for at least 1,000 more children.

This holiday season, you can help us say YES to more kids.

Give Today

When hunger takes up less space, there’s more room for childhood.

Behind Every Door is a Different Story

Behind every childhood hunger statistic is the story of a child whose life has been shaped by hunger—and by the people who chose to make a difference.

Sometimes joy looks like a juice box.

Years ago, Backpack Buddies Co-Founder Emily-anne King met a little girl in Vancouver who told her something she would never forget.

When Emily-anne asked what she had at home for the weekend, the little girl’s answer was simple:

“Sometimes there is only water.”

Shocked that this could be happening in her own community, Emily-anne and her mom Joanne began asking questions. How could a child be going home to bare cupboards?

What they discovered was heartbreaking: many children had access to breakfast and lunch at school during the week, but every Friday, they were going home without enough food to make it through the weekend.

That realization became the beginning of Backpack Buddies.

In 2012, Backpack Buddies began by helping just 20 children. Today, thousands of children across British Columbia receive food they can count on every Friday because caring supporters refuse to let childhood hunger go unseen.

“I remember never having enough.”

As a child, Deborah knew what it felt like to go to school hungry.

Raised by a single mother who struggled deeply, food insecurity was part of her everyday life.

“I remember going to school with lunches that made me feel ashamed,” Deborah shared. “I remember what it felt like to never have enough.”

So when she first learned about Backpack Buddies, the mission felt deeply personal.

“My soul wept,” she said. “Because I immediately understood how life-changing it can be for a child to know food is there.”

Not just food. But dignity. Relief. Hope.

Today, Deborah is a proud member of Backpack Buddies’ Friday Club, helping ensure children across British Columbia head into every weekend with food they can count on.

Because Deborah knows firsthand how reliable food can change a child’s life.