Fact: There are 3200 kids in Calgary that go to school hungry every day.
If somebody told you that you could feed a hungry child a healthy lunch for a month by spending 20 dollars would you do it?
If somebody told you that with that same 20 dollars you could feed a hungry child for a month and get a fun calendar of local chefs who a) don’t take themselves too seriously and b) take feeding kids very seriously – would you spend that 20 dollars to feed those kids?
This is the story behind Brown Bagging It for Calgary’s Kids and the offcutsyyc calendar.
This is the second year for the Off Cuts YYC Calendar. An initiative of local entrepreneur Kevin Kent and photographer Jeremy Fokkens, the fundraiser raised 33,000 dollars last year. The printing, photographer and model’s time and distribution of the calendar are all donated so every cent goes to the charity. This year, the group of volunteer models and Fokkens and Kent, hope to raise 40,000 dollars with their efforts.
That money would feed a lot of children and goodness knows that’s needed. Brown Bagging It for Calgary’s Kids feeds children in 200 Calgary schools. They’ve seen a 30 per cent increase in demand for their program this past year.
Sadly, that makes sense. Why?
Because it is estimated that Alberta has lost over 100,000 jobs over the past two years. People’s severance is running out and the unemployment rate in Calgary is over 10 per cent.
You can find the calendar at the following outlets:
Knifewear
Kent of Inglewood
The Silk Road Spice Merchant
Phil and Sebastian Coffee Roasters
Master Meats
J Webb Wine Merchants
Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids is committed to creating a Calgary where no child goes hungry. They say, “Through awareness and outreach, we will work with every school in our city, identifying needs and empowering Calgarians to create lasting social impact by using their heads, hearts and hands to find ways to feed kids who would otherwise go without”.
Enjoy these photos from the witty, imaginative and thoughtful photographer Fokkens. Buy a calendar when you are out and about or click here and give to Brown Bagging It for Calgary’s Kids right now.
