Telethon 2024: WA program Backpack Buddies for disadvantaged students makes big impact

A pioneering WA program that sends disadvantaged students home from school with a backpack full of food for the weekend has had an extraordinary impact on attendance and engagement in the classroom.

With families across the State grappling with the cost-of-living, it is children who can be the silent victims of the crisis, left to go hungry when their parents struggle to put food on the table.

While many schools have breakfast programs during the term, kids are left to fend for themselves on weekends and during school holidays.

Inspired by a similar program in the US — and armed with a generous Telethon grant — Bridge Builders chief executive Kelly Hinder started Backpack Buddies at the start of the year.

Through the initiative, at-risk children are discretely given a backpack of child-friendly food on a Friday that covers seven meals over the weekend.

Ms Hinder said the trial started with one school and five kids but has quickly expanded to 130 children across 14 schools in the Peel region — with at least 80 more children identified as needing help.

“We were hearing a lot of stories where kids were getting stressed about holidays and weekends because they didn’t know where their next meal was going to come from,” she said.

“As a parent, you always try and keep things from your children as much as possible but they are very good at picking up on the little things . . . it’s a lot for anyone to take on, but for a child — it’s not something a child should have to worry about.

“They should be focused on being a child and going to school and that should be the extent of their worries.

“But at the moment they’ve got so much happening in their little brains that they are trying to deal with, so our program is trying to help with one small area of that.”

Ms Hinder said schools had reported an increased rate of attendance from children involved and teachers were also noticing improvements in learning.

“Teachers are seeing improved concentration and engagement in the classroom, and behavioural issues are changing because with hunger comes all those ‘hangry-type’ issues, so they are not so stressed and angry come the start of school,” she said.

“Some of the chaplains are saying they are getting increased engagement from the parents as well.”

Ms Hinder said parents were also appreciative of the help.

“A lot of them have said it’s gotten them through a tough time,” she said.

“They are also appreciative of the fact it’s done through the schools, because a lot of the parents in this situation don’t have the fuel money to come to our food pantry.”

Ms Hinder said separately, the organisation’s food pantry had experienced a 40 per cent increase in demand compared with the same time last year.