Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids is a 4-star charity with an above-average results reporting score. Its overhead costs are outside of Ci’s reasonable range, and it has reserve funds to cover program costs for a year and two months.

Founded in 1990, Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids (BB4CK) aims to feed and care for children in Calgary. The charity provides lunches to children unable to bring food to school. Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids reports that before the pandemic, nearly 4.5 million Canadians experienced food insecurity. In the first two months of the pandemic, this number increased by 39% to 1 in every 7 Canadians. BB4CK reports that 1 in 10 Calgarians live below the poverty line, and food prices have risen by 4%. As a result, visits to the Calgary Food Bank have increased by 44% since 2019.

Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids’ main program is providing lunches to students in schools through funding lunch programs and delivering lunches. In F2022, the charity also provided lunches to students in summer day camps for the first time. During the pandemic, BB4CK provided grocery cards to families with children learning at home. This program ended in June 2021.

In F2022, Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids made 401,100 lunches and 5,900 summer camp lunches. The charity fed 578,083 children in F2022.

Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids received $1.6m in donations and special events revenue in F2022.

Administrative costs are 24% of revenues (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 20% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 44%. For every dollar donated, 56 cents go to the cause. This is outside Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. In F2021, the charity's overhead spending was just outside of Ci's reasonable range while in F2020, the charity's overhead spending was within Ci's reasonable range.

Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids has reserve funds of $1.8m. The charity can cover a year and two months of annual program costs with its existing reserves.

The charity’s audited financial statements for F2022 only report on eight months (January 2022 to August 2022). The charity is changing its year-end to August and future financial statements will report on a September-August basis. The audited financials for F2021 and F2020 are for the entire year (January to December).

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on May 31, 2023 by Kiara Andrade.