Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
A
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
n/r
DEMONSTRATED IMPACT
The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.
NEED FOR FUNDING
Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.
69%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 69 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids:
Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids is a 5-star charity. It has an A Results Reporting grade, which is above average. The charity’s overhead spending is within Ci’s reasonable range and its reserve funds can cover program costs for one year and six months, which is also within Ci’s reasonable range.
Founded in 1990, Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids (BB4CK) prepares or funds lunches for school kids in Calgary. One in three kids in Alberta lives in a household experiencing food insecurity. The charity runs three main programs: the School Lunch Program, the Summer Camp Program, and the Family Grocery Card Program. BB4CK spent $2.5m on its programs in the fiscal year ending in August (F2024). In total it cost $4.32 per lunch and snack delivered.
The School Lunch Program prepares and delivers lunches to kids in schools across Calgary every day. The program made 885,859 lunches in F2024, and served over 7,500 kids daily.
The Summer Camp Program gives lunches to kids during the summer months. In F2024, the program provided over 34,000 lunches and snacks.
Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids finished its pilot project The Moving from For-to-With (FTW) program in October 2023. It ran for one year. The program provided monthly grocery cards to 50 families experiencing food insecurity, providing each family with an average of $4,140 over the year. The charity began the BB4CK Family Grocery Card Program in 2024, which has the same goal as the Moving For-to-With program.
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Results and Impact
Around 60% of schools strongly agreed that Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids’ lunches allowed students to focus more on class and participate more in school activities. During summer camps, counsellors surveyed the kids on their mood. On a scale of one to five, 23% improved by one rank in the feeling scale after eating a BB4CK lunch.
BB4CK is not yet rated on impact. This shows as n/r and it does not affect the star rating. While Ci highlights these results, they may not completely represent BB4CK’s results and impact.
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Finances
Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids’ audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a best practice. This means its expenses are clearly defined between program, administrative, and fundraising categories. In F2024, BB4CK received $4.8m in donations and special events (97% of total revenue), which is a 19% increase from $4.0m in the previous year. It made $123k in investment income.
BB4CK spent $2.5m on its programs, which is 50% of total revenue. The charity ran a surplus of $987k (20% of revenue). It spent $684k on fundraising (14% of donations), and spent $802k on administration, which is 17% of revenue (less investment income). For every dollar donated to BB4CK, 69 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.
BB4CK has $3.8m in its reserve funds (cash and investments) which can cover program costs for one year and six months. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.
Updated on May 29, 2025 by Joshua Leduc.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending August
|
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 16.6% | 16.4% | 26.0% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 14.2% | 13.9% | 21.0% |
| Total overhead spending | 30.8% | 30.3% | 46.9% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 151.4% | 124.2% | 119.0% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $s |
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 4,707,909 | 3,811,775 | 1,430,726 |
| Goods in kind | 0 | 0 | 1,434 |
| Government funding | 21,501 | 450,828 | 5,544 |
| Special events | 109,880 | 228,940 | 43,181 |
| Investment income | 123,436 | 50,295 | (43,057) |
| Other income | 0 | 10,000 | 0 |
| Total revenues | 4,962,726 | 4,551,838 | 1,437,828 |
| Program costs | 2,489,730 | 2,228,793 | 990,140 |
| Administrative costs | 801,977 | 736,948 | 384,608 |
| Fundraising costs | 684,255 | 562,585 | 308,820 |
| Total spending | 3,975,962 | 3,528,326 | 1,683,568 |
| Cash flow from operations | 986,764 | 1,023,512 | (245,740) |
| Capital spending | 10,888 | 28,090 | 7,590 |
| Funding reserves | 3,770,216 | 2,767,700 | 1,767,367 |
Note: 1. Ci adjusted for donations receivable which affected donations by $109k in F2024, ($141k) in F2023, and ($101k) in F2022. 2. Ci included investment income recorded below the line. This affected revenue by $123k in F2024, $50k in F2023, and ($43k) in F2022. 3. Ci adjusted for deferred casino revenue which affected revenue by $21k in F2024, ($34k) in F2023, and ($53k) in F2022. 5. Ci adjusted for deferred donations which affected donations by ($6k) in F2022. 4. Ci adjusted for deferred contributions related to property and equipment which affected revenue by ($1k) in F2024 and $10k in F2023. 5. BB4CK changed its fiscal year end in 2022, so the 2022 financials are for an eight month period.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
0 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
1 |
$80k - $120k |
4 |
$40k - $80k |
5 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2024
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
At Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids, we work alongside our community to make sure every child has access to the food they need to thrive. As of 2024, 1 in 3 children in Alberta lived in households experiencing food insecurity, a reality that impacts children and families across our community.
We know that when children are well-fed, they’re better able to learn, play, and grow, both in and out of the classroom. That’s why, together with our community, we prepare and deliver fresh, nutritious lunches every school day and throughout the summer—with dignity, inclusion, and free from stigma—while offering options that reflect the cultural and dietary preferences of the kids we serve.
We listen to families because they know what they need. Their experiences help shape how we serve, whether it’s the food we offer or how we continue to grow and adapt our programs with care and dignity.
Here’s what school staff and program leaders have shared about BB4CK’s impact:
"..Having food readily available has normalized concerns around food insecurity and has added to a culture of acceptance and understanding within our school community. Students do not feel judged when they need to request a lunch, and they are genuinely appreciative for what they receive." - Assistant Principal
“Students felt respected and cared for knowing they could have lunch daily and discreetly packaged for them. They did not feel awkward sitting with friends who were eating when they were not.” - Student Services Coordinator
“Being able to have that food or fuel was very important—and just being able to feed them whenever they needed something or felt like their body needed something.” - Camp Counselor
As we look ahead, our focus remains on working alongside our community to ensure every child has what they need to thrive—not just today, but every day. And it takes all of us, together.
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 403-264-7979