The Shelbourne Community Kitchen in Saanich is running a back-to-school campaign to ensure that children from families with financial challenges have everything they need when they head back to the classroom.

The Shelbourne Community Kitchen is raising $12,000 through its “Raise $12K for Kids in K-12” campaign, which runs until Sept. 7, to prepare students for the upcoming 2026–27 school year. The money will help local students and families with lunch food, after-school snacks, early-literacy book bags, backpacks, school supplies, and other essentials. The community kitchen says the need for this support is growing, with Food Banks Canada’s HungerCount 2025 reporting that children make up one-third of food bank users across the country.

Statistics Canada figures from 2024 showed that 30.8 per cent of Canadian children under 18 were in households with food insecurity. The Shelbourne Community Kitchen executive director, Kim Cummins, said high grocery prices can put extra pressure on families who are already struggling to make ends meet. The community kitchen hopes its campaign will help ease that burden and make sure children have the nutritious food they need to grow and learn.

As part of the fundraiser, a barbecue and Fill the Van Food Drive were held on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Thrifty Foods parking lot in Tuscany Village. People can also support the campaign by ordering Shelbourne Kitchen Eggs Benny from the Village Restaurant at 4087 Shelbourne St. until Sept. 7, with $2 from each order donated to the campaign. Donations can also be made by clicking here.

For the last 13 years, the Shelbourne Community Kitchen has supported residents and currently serves more than 1,950 adults and 875 children.

Source: Jeff Bell, Times Colonist