1 IN 6 CHILDREN ARE LIVING IN POVERTY
In Mandurah, Rockingham, and across the Peel region, too many children are growing up without reliable access to food. For children who rely on school breakfast programs or the quiet support of teachers during the week, weekends can bring uncertainty, anxiety, and empty cupboards.
Australia’s rising cost of living, including housing, household bills, and childcare, has created an affordability crisis that is hitting families hard, and children hardest of all. In our local communities, one in six children is experiencing food insecurity, putting their health, learning, and wellbeing at risk.
Feeding Mandurah, Peel & Rockingham’s Most Vulnerable Kids, Every Weekend
Each Friday, backpacks filled with food leave our Community Food Hub and head into local schools across Mandurah, Peel and Rockingham. For more than 220 children, these bags mean full tummies over the weekend, and one less worry carried home when the school bell goes.
With the support of Telethon, Alcoa, Alinta Energy, YouthCARE, Choyces and our school partners, Backpack Buddies helps ensure hunger doesn’t follow kids home.
17
School partners
220+
Kids reached every weekend
2,764
Backpacks Delivered
65,817
Meals provided over the weekends
Hunger Doesn’t Take the Weekend Off
Imagine being six years old and knowing that your next proper meal might not come for days.
Imagine going to bed hungry on Friday and waking up on Saturday with empty cupboards and no certainty about food.
This is the reality for too many children in our community.
Across Mandurah, Peel and Rockingham, more than 5,000 children in local schools are at risk of or experiencing food insecurity. While some children can access school breakfast clubs or the quiet support of teachers during the week, Western Australia has no state or federally funded weekend or school holiday food programs for school-aged children.
When school gates close, support often stops.
Research consistently shows that food insecurity has serious consequences for children, impacting their physical health, learning, emotional wellbeing, and long-term development. Hunger doesn’t just affect a child’s stomach; it affects their ability to concentrate, grow, and thrive.
This is where Backpack Buddies steps in.
While some schools are fortunate to offer breakfast programs, many children still face weekends and school holidays with fear and uncertainty about where their next meal will come from. Backpack Buddies bridges that gap, ensuring children have access to nutritious food when other supports aren’t available.
Thanks to the generosity of Telethon, Alcoa, Alinta Energy and our local community, Backpack Buddies is delivering practical, life-changing support directly to children who need it most. Each week, backpacks filled with nine meals and snacks are discreetly distributed through schools, helping ensure hunger doesn’t follow children home.
With every backpack distributed, Bridge Builders is doing more than filling empty stomachs. We are protecting childhoods, supporting learning, and strengthening futures, creating a safety net of care, dignity, and compassion for some of our community’s most vulnerable children.
Because no child should have to face hunger.
ACT NOW!
Host a Backpack or Fundraising Drive
Rising housing costs hit low-income families harder, with rents increasing by 17.8% for lower quartile rentals between 2020-2022.
3.7 million people including 823,000 children are living below the poverty line in Australia.
Children who experience poverty and housing stress are significantly more likely to suffer nervousness or feel unhappy with their lives for up to ten years after leaving home.
Download Assets
Poster with QR Code
Social Media Tile's
WHAT'S IN A BACKPACK
Food is selected in consultation with nutritionists and educators. Our bags are kid-approved, easy to prepare, and varied – perfect for growing children.
Ready-to-Eat
All our food is ready-to-eat because many of the kids we serve may be left home alone. They will have to prepare this food by themselves, often with very limited access to a microwave, stove or oven.
Largely Non-Perishable
Most of the food chosen will be non-perishable because often kids may not have access to appropriate food storage space at home. We recognise the importance of fresh fruit and veggies and include fresh items that last a while outside the fridge like apples, oranges and carrots.
Kid Approved
Every item in our bags will be kid-approved because, most children are not particularly adventurous in their eating habits—they like and eat what they know.