Charity Spotlight: This post was provided by Wendy Treschel, Volunteer and Administration Coordinator for Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids (BB4CK), as part of our ongoing charity spotlight series.

It is hard to believe that in a prosperous city like Calgary, there are children without enough to eat.  But we see 2000 of these children every day. Many kids arrive at school without lunch, and often without having had breakfast either. Hunger makes it hard for them to focus and incredibly challenging to learn.

Recently, a student at a junior high school came up to a BB4CK staff member and wanted her to know how much it meant that we provided him with a lunch each day. Without it, he said, he would not be attending school.

He wasn’t exaggerating. A teacher confirmed she hadn’t thought he would make it past the first year of junior high. He’s now in his last year. Without much to eat at home, the promise of a healthy lunch waiting at school was enough to keep him in class.

Our lunches are available to any young person who would otherwise go without. Thanks to our amazing volunteers and in-kind partners, each lunch costs only $1 to make – a small amount that can change a student’s future. So when an individual or corporation makes a donation of any size, the impact is easy to calculate and the effect is immediate.

Donations are essential for the work we do, but awareness is just as important.  We need people to know that there is a problem and tell others about it. We need as many people as possible to understand that children are going without food every day in our city. Once people are aware of the problem, they can help us work towards a solution.

Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids has one goal: no hungry kids in Calgary. Working with Calgary schools, we provide healthy lunches directly to kids, and empower communities to create lasting social change. Learn more about Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids on their charity profile page.

Updated on October 31, 2024