There’s an urgent appeal for support from one of Calgary’s most important charities.
Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids (BB4CK) says it needs more helping hands to help meet the growing needs of some of the city’s most vulnerable families.
The organization counts on 600 volunteers to get daily lunches out to Calgary schools.
With current tough economic times,BB4CK is busier than its ever been.
‘The costs of all the things that we need for our lives are just increasing,” said Bethany Ross, BB4CK’s executive director. “So there are lots of challenges out there for families, trying to make sure they have enough food for their kids.”
Demand for the charity’s services is up 20 per cent over October 2022, and it’s now delivering lunches to 6,500 local kids every school day.
For the first time since BB4CK started 30 years ago, the charity’s now making an urgent appeal for more volunteers.
“We do need more volunteers than ever this year,” Ross said. “Every lunch is made and delivered by a volunteer.”
Among the organization’s regular volunteers is Sarah Powell, who knows what it’s like to go to school hungry.
“Back when I was a kid, my family had some tough times,” Powell said. “Food was really tough to come by.”
Powell’s family relied on lunches provided by BB4CK.
“This is something that helped me get through the day of school,” Powell said. ”It helped me, knowing that it wasn’t just me, that there was food that was available to me – I wasn’t alone, there were some kind strangers out there.”
Retiree Trevor Borden has been a BB4CK volunteer for the past five years.
“There are lots of different roles – you can create your own schedule, so it’ll fit your schedule no matter what,” Borden said. “There’s definitely a need – it’s really surprising that a city like Calgary would have kids who are going to school hungry.”
Powell enjoys being one of the ‘kind strangers,’ reminiscent of those who helped her family, and finds time to volunteer at BB4CK between raising her kids and her full-time job.
‘I’m a registered nurse,” Powell said. “I block off one morning a week just to come here and give back.”
More information on volunteering is available on the BB4CK website.
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