Life hasn’t been easy for Krissy, a resilient Indigenous woman. Growing up with food insecurity, she often went hungry with her sister while their parents were away. She also struggled with addiction from an early age and experienced homelessness at 18, while pregnant. These early experiences left a lasting impact, instilling in Krissy a deep fear of not having enough food for her children.
“It was really hard because I was just on the streets because I didn’t have anyone to help me. I changed my life because I was struggling with addiction. I didn’t want my kids to live my life and go through what I went through. So, I always made sure that they had what they needed to have. I make sure the kids have their food throughout the week and make sure I get enough – till my next payday.”
Today, Krissy relies on fixed disability income and their family has faced financial struggles. But with the support of Backpack Buddies, they’ve found some much-needed relief.
“Backpack Buddies really helps. When you go through so much, you just want to be able to sit down and say, ‘Okay, you guys can eat, let’s just make something simple tonight.’
Her kids Jordan, Jacob, and twins, Sage and Bryson eagerly look forward to the bags of food from Backpack Buddies each week. They especially love the oatmeal and the little milk cartons that come in the food bags. “The kids get so excited and happy to receive the Backpack Buddies food bags. They’re just ready to dig into it to eat it.”
The support from Backpack Buddies provides not just nourishing food necessary for a growing child, but also a sense of security and stability that is so important during their formative years.
With the support from Backpack Buddies, this has helped ensure her children have nutritious meals every day of the week, empowering them to focus on learning and growing. “Without Backpack Buddies, we would have to do more – go to the food bank, figure out different ways of getting extra food. On the weekends, I don’t know what I would do. When the bags first started coming from Backpack Buddies, we were like ‘oh my goodness, we got help’.”
“If we didn’t have Backpack Buddies, it would make a massive difference. It was really hard trying to make sure we had food.” Krissy explains. “Backpack Buddies helps your food stretch. The fruit and the vegetables really help. Every little bit really does help and it’s a big support for our family.”
