New BrunswickAlex Boyd, CEO of the food bank in Fredericton, says he’s seen a 25 per cent increase in parents registering their child for a program that supplies backpacks, lunchboxes and other important supplies ahead of the new school year.Non-profit is filling 760 backpacks with supplies for families in needKatelin Belliveau · CBC News · Posted: Aug 22, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoThe backpack program offered by Greener Village includes a new backpack, lunch box, water bottle and other essential school supplies like paper and books. (Michael Heenan/CBC News)More families are asking a Fredericton non-profit for help to ensure their kids have the supplies they need for the upcoming school year, the charity says.”This past year actually we’ve seen an over-25 per cent increase in the number of requests for backpacks,” said Alex Boyd, CEO of Greener Village, which runs a food bank and other charitable programs in Fredericton.”We did just over 600 last year. This year we’re doing 750, 760.” Staff at Greener Village have been busy stuffing backpacks with school supplies as part of a yearly campaign to help parents in need.To Boyd, the fact that New Brunswickers are facing higher prices at every turn means the program will likely continue to grow each year.”When you’re stretching your budget as as it can go … a backpack and even some basic school supplies is significant. It’s expensive,” he said.WATCH | Greener Village prepares more than 700 backpacks for back-to-school season: Dozens more families need help with back-to-school supplies, Fredericton food bank saysFredericton food bank Greener Village says it’s seeing a 25 per cent increase in the number of families using its backpack program, which helps kids in need with their school supplies. A 2025 report by the Retail Council of Canada found the cost of school supplies for a new school year is between $600 and $750 per child.The backpack program is designed for families who already access the non-profit’s food banks, some of which have up to seven children, Boyd said.”That’s a big expense all at once you have to navigate,” he said. “Even with some of the great social supports that we have in Canada, there are still gaps that happen.”Boyd said up to 40 or 50 new families are showing up to food banks each week, though some families’ situations are stabilizing and they no longer need to access the services.Parents who register their child for the program receive a new backpack, lunchbox and water bottle. Families also get access to a book fair as they pick up the backpacks this year, as well as supplies that schools ask for like tissues, reusable plastic bags, pencil crayons and paper.”We know that education is one of the cycle breakers for poverty,” Boyd said. “So if we can help to enable a good education experience for kids and families, that’s something that’s important to us.”Similar program offered for Moncton-area studentsThe Anglophone East School District is also well into its second virtual school supply drive for students across its 38 schools.”We like to get around $10,000 to $15,000 in our fundraising goal,” said Luc Malefant, the community co-ordinator for the district who’s leading the campaign.”Last year, we packed around 570 book bags. After you add up all of the items, that’s kind of where you want to fall … to be able provide the necessities.”Malenfant, who purchases the items along with his team, said inflation is also hitting school supplies.”Even our list of items, what we would have paid for them last year has gone up 25, 50 cents,” he said. “We know that some families may be struggling … to be able to purchase every single item that may be required for their child come September.”The program used to be led by Headstart, a Moncton-based non-profit, but the district took over the campaign last year.The district accepts item donations, but Malenfant said receiving monetary donations can help them buy exactly what students need the most.Malenfant said it’s up to each school to determine which students will receive the backpacks, which are typically filled with 10 to 12 items like binders, markers and erasers. They hope to have the bags ready by the end of August.So far, this year’s campaign has raised about half of their rough goal of between 10 to 15 thousand dollars, Malenfant said.”If we reach our goal, we reach it, which is great,” he said. “If we don’t, we’re still able to purchase what we can with the money we have and be a little more strategic with our funds.”The United Way also organizes a collection of school supplies for Saint John, Kings and Charlotte.ABOUT THE AUTHORKatelin Belliveau is a CBC reporter based in Moncton.
Greener Village sees ‘steep climb’ in demand for school-supplies program this year
