Calgary charity sees surge in demand for school lunches

A Calgary non-profit that's been hard at work for years packing lunches for thousands of students says their services are needed for more children than ever before.

Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids (BB4CK), prepares lunches for 7,500 children on a daily basis, an increase by more than 15 per cent from the 6,500 they delivered daily last year.

"We're in every neighborhood," said Stephanie Gauthier, BB4CK's operational director.

"One in three children in Calgary experience food insecurity. This is our community, and there's a growing need."

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This rising demand is concerning for volunteers like Marco Civitarese.

"When I started four and a half years ago, it was half the amount," he said. "It's almost doubled."

Char Urdu started volunteering with BB4CK in August.

"When I heard 7,500 sandwiches a day? Wow, holy cow. What’s going on?" she said.

"It's disturbing but it's reality. It's out there, right? There's so many things going on, and it bothers, bothers me. So, anything I can do to help a little bit."

BB4CK relies solely on donations to fund its operations and faces its own challenges with rising food costs.

"The average cost of our lunch has gone up to $4," Gauthier said. "A year ago, it was $3.50."

To meet both increased demand and rising costs, BB4CK aims to raise $1 million during its December fundraising campaign.

"Every donation matters," said Gauthier.

"From $5 to a $100,000 matching gift, it all helps ensure Calgary kids have the food they need."

According to BB4CK, a $1-million donation can provide lunches for two months at their current volume, which is about 250,000 lunches.

Donations can be made at BB4CK.org.

Until the end of December, up to $100,000 in donations will be matched by the Trevor and Amy Cooper Family Legacy Fund at the Calgary Foundation.