Calgary leaders volunteer to support children facing food insecurity on brown bagging it day

Mayor Jeromy Farkas and several Calgary city councillors rolled up their sleeves Monday to support a local charity dedicated to providing healthy lunches to children in need.

Volunteers joined Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids (BB4CK) as part of Brown Bagging It Day, an annual event recognizing the organization’s volunteer efforts while raising awareness about food insecurity in the city.

BB4CK currently provides nutritious lunches to nearly 8,000 students across 280 schools in Calgary, with each meal costing about $4 to prepare.

Long-time volunteer Mylena Bodnarchuk, who has been helping the organization for more than three years, said demand for support has continued to rise.

“We definitely need to raise more awareness that food insecurity exists here in our city,” Bodnarchuk said.

She added that the growing need has become increasingly noticeable since she first started volunteering.

Despite the challenges, Bodnarchuk said seeing the positive impact on children’s lives motivates her to keep coming back.