This past weekend Abbotsford hosted the West Coast Women’s show, where Larry Thomas from Seinfeld raised money for Starfish!
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This summer was very eventful for the Starfish Pack Program. We were able to offer Summer Starfish Packs to children and their families for the first time ever! Now heading into the fall, and the school year being in full swing, we have been able to expand even more. We are working towards our goal of increasing our numbers to 300 packs in Abbotsford, and are even in the works of expanding Starfish to high schools for the first time through a new pantry program!
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By Lucas Driediger
Big Things are in the Works!
From extending Starfish through the summer, to increasing the amount of children we support, there is a lot going on in the world of Starfish! Whether you are eager to fight poverty, or just want a feel good story, this blog is for you.
Updated June 23 2017
In 1937, a small group of local lawyers came together committed to the idea of serving the small communities of Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Eighty years later, the law firm of Baker Newby is celebrating the milestone by making a major donation to those communities.
Baker Newby has announced the creation of a matching grant program in support of the Abbotsford and Chilliwack Starfish Pack programs. The program will match dollar for dollar all local donations received before the end of 2017, up to a maximum of $80,000. This amount will allow the Starfish Pack program to add 300 additional children to the weekend food program for the entire 2017-2018 school year.
Chevron Canada gave Abbotsford’s Starfishpack a boost by matching donations.
Read more on the Abbotsford Food Bank’s Blog post!
We are so thankful to be featured in the program Fraser Focus on Joy TV.
Watch the full segment here: https://youtu.be/OVT70-jH-tE
Updated: June 30, 2016
Starfishpack Abbotsford was recently praised by the School District 34’s Superintendent, Kevin Godden, as being the most notable endeavour in feeding children.
In the article, Kevin outlines the tragedy of the effects of hunger on developing brains.
“Hungry children are distressed children. Research in the field of neuroscience (and common sense) tells us that depriving the body of nutrients has a significant impact on brain development, and consequently one’s ability to learn. We should not be surprised that children who come to school chronically hungry demonstrate more inappropriate behaviours, are more inattentive, and are more likely to exhibit negative interactions with peers and their teachers. If you have ever been hungry for an extended period of time you will know what I am talking about.”
We have a Super Kid on our hands!
With the help of his community, Chase raised over $8,000 for the Abbotsford Starfish Pack Program! Watch the video to hear how giving up a 7th birthday can help feed over 15 hungry children over the weekend for a whole school year!
