Canada Post strike drying up donations for B.C. non-profit that feeds children over the weekend

For kids who rely on school meal programs for their daily nourishment, the weekend often means those children go without. Backpack Buddies helps bridge that weekend gap.

Laara Losier, the program co-ordinator with Backpack Buddies on southern Vancouver Island, says it’s a discreet service that ensures children on the program don’t go without.

"We just put a whole bundle together and we deliver them to the schools,” said Losier. “They go in their backpacks on Friday afternoon so they are at home without any extra transportation or pick-up required."

Backpack Buddies are in 73 schools on the South Island, feeding more than 1,200 children per week. There are 2,000 children on Vancouver Island that are signed up for the program.

The need continues to grow and now the organization is at capacity. On the South Island it currently has more than 1,000 kids on its waitlist, and 500 of them are in Greater Victoria.

Now the organization is struggling to meet its current commitment due to the ongoing Canada Post strike.

"Lots of people, especially during the holiday season would typically mail their donations into Backpack Buddies to help fuel the program,” said Losier.

The organization is encouraging donors to make those donations through its website, but for many of its older donors, that isn’t an option.

Provincially, the organization is also having a tough time meeting the overwhelming demand.

Emily-Anne King, the executive director of Backpack Buddies, says we are seeing a food insecurity crisis in this province.

"We have over 2,000 children in our province on our waitlist right now,” said King. “It's to the point where we've actually closed our waitlist down to new applicants because we just simply feel that we're giving false hope to people."

She says one example sticks out in her mind from a conversation she had with a young student.

“She told me that before Backpack Buddies, all she had all weekend was water,” said King.

Over half of those on that provincial waitlist are on Vancouver Island.

"The number one thing is donate on our website at backpackbuddies.ca,” said King.

It takes just $25 to feed a child for the entire weekend. With the need only growing and the labour dispute hindering donations, Backpack Buddies needs a little help of its own to make sure no child goes hungry over the weekend.