Donations will be matched up to $350,000 as BB4CK marks 35 years of community care 

More than one in three children in Alberta lived in a household experiencing food insecurity in 2025, with food insecurity remaining among the highest levels observed in 20 years of monitoring. While BB4CK currently provides lunches for nearly 8,000 kids every school day in more than 290 Calgary schools, the need for nutritious food extends far beyond the children the organization currently reaches. 

“The first day of school is approaching, and our community is preparing now,” said Bethany Ross, Executive Director of BB4CK. “This campaign is an invitation for Calgarians to come together so nutritious lunches are ready for kids from day one, supporting a strong start to the school year.” 

Thanks to a generous group of donors, donations to the Back-to-School Campaign will be matched up to $350,000. Each $5 donation helps BB4CK prepare and deliver a nutritious lunch that includes a sandwich, snack, fruit and vegetables, with dairy offered once a week. 

Calgarians can also support the campaign by volunteering. Community members can sign up for a kitchen shift, and current volunteers are encouraged to invite a friend, family member or coworker to join them. 

To mark the campaign launch, a group of Calgary teachers will visit the BB4CK kitchen on August 17. The teachers will speak with volunteers about what access to lunch means for students and why volunteers’ work matters before collecting lunches for delivery into the community. 

This year’s campaign also marks BB4CK’s 35th anniversary. What began with a small group of volunteers making sandwiches has grown into a city-wide community of volunteers, donors, schools, partners, families and supporters caring for kids together.

As BB4CK celebrates its history, the organization is also preparing for its next chapter. A new kitchen with nearly three times the capacity of its current space will strengthen BB4CK’s ability to prepare nutritious lunches and connect more kids and families to food in the years ahead. 

Calgarians can donate, volunteer and learn more about the campaign at bb4ck.org