A Calgary agency that helps make sure kids have proper lunches at school hopes that the kind gesture by a pair of young girls will help inspire others to give what they can.

Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids (BB4CK) is a charity that provides lunches to approximately 4,200 kids that would otherwise go to school with nothing.

The cause has struck a chord with a lot of people, including 10-year-old Anaya Maubert and her sister, seven-year-old Eden.

The pair recently put together their allowances, coming up with $18.85 that they donated to the organization.

Now, BB4CK is asking Calgarians to follow the girls’ example by donating a matching amount to support their efforts and address a growing need in the community.

“We have seen an increase of 30 percent of need over this past year and we have 4,200 kids every day that would otherwise go to school hungry. We do believe that with Calgarians working together, every little bit makes a difference,” says Tanya Koshowski with BB4CK.

Every day, volunteers put together hundreds of lunches that are shipped out to a number of schools throughout the city.

Anaya and Eden say they were drawn to the movement because they know what it feels like to go to school hungry.

“It doesn’t feel good to be hungry and we don’t want other kids to be hungry,” Anaya says.

It only costs a dollar to produce a lunch at the facility, so every dollar means that another child has a lunch at school.

Koshowski says that it’s very important that all kids have lunches when they attend school.

“We are hearing stories about kids stealing other kids’ lunches from their backpacks, kids who are so hungry they’re lethargic and don’t even have the energy to throw a ball in school. [We also hear about] kids that are not coming to school; parents say they are not sending them because they don’t have food and they’re embarrassed.”

Danielle Maubert, Anaya and Eden’s mom, says she is proud of her girls’ initiative, willingness to help out and awareness of the impact that they make.

“I think that they really connect with it. They know what it’s like when they feel hungry, they know what it’s like when mom doesn’t pack them a big enough lunch at school so I think they knew the impact they could make.”

Since they started working there, the girls have donated hundreds to BB4CK and say that it’s easy for anyone to give.

“It’s hard when I’m doing a cookie fundraiser or something like that, but it’s not hard to take a few dollars from my allowance and donate it,” Anaya says. “All you have to do is get a few dollars and bring it here.”

For more information on Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids, you can visit the official website.

(With files from Kevin Fleming)