An Abbotsford Facebook group raised $10,000 for the Starfish Pack program through their Doing Good in the Hood Fundraiser event in mid-September 2024. Read the full article below:
The Community Matters Award has been presented once per year since 2015 as a way to formally recognize community partners who have exceeded their community service mandate. Organizations and individuals who have made a significant contribution to Abbotsford school district students can be nominated.
The committee said that they chose Starfish Pack as the award recipient because they support such a large number of students and schools across the district. Read the full article below:
The second annual Smiles Through Seva Foundation Gala on September 28th, 2024 raised $70,000 for the Archway Food Bank’s Starfish Pack program.
The program provides packs of food for more than 700 students every school weekend.
“We’re amazed by the generosity shown by the event organizers, sponsors and attendees,” said Rebecca Thuro, Archway food security manager. “These funds will ensure 100 children and teenagers will receive food over the weekend all school year.” Read the full article below:
Daybreak Rotary Club in Williams Lake recently received a financial boost from the Lakers Car Club for the Starfish Program to the tune of $5,000.
The fifth annual Stand Up For challenge saw boarders paddle the 18-kilometre length of Kalamalka Lake to raise money. The event took place September 3rd and surpassed its $24,000 goal even before participants hit the water.
When all was said and done, they had raised $31,110 raised for Kalamalka Starfish Pack. The funds will provide backpacks full of food each weekend to 50 children for the entire school year.
After starting with just three students in 2020, the Similkameen Starfish Pack program has grown to support 16, and so has the need for financial support for the program.
The Starfish Pack program provides students at Cawston Elementary School and Similkameen Elementary Secondary School with food to take home over the weekends.
“Our community has been extremely generous with funding with donations. And we wanted to make sure that that money wasn’t just sitting in the bank, and that it was helping families,” Van Raes said. “There’s a huge need. Now that we’re in endemic mode, we have inflation issues. People are literally choosing whether to pay their rent or put food on their tables.”
“So we want to make sure that we can cover as many families as possible with just a little bit of something for them.”
The Peardonville Community Association Society has donated $500,000 from the sale of their hall to the Starfish Pack Program of the Archway Food Bank.
“Our Peardonville Community Hall Committee choose the Starfish Program as it represents most closely the mandate of the original Peardonville Society objectives,” said June Ross, a member of the Peardonville Committee.
“The main fundraisers and programs were for children. Stemming from the 2nd World War, the neighbourhood women became part of the Women’s Institute whose motto was “no child should ever go hungry” and the Starfish program fits that motto perfectly.”
“Words cannot adequately express how grateful we are for this donation,” said Rod Santiago, the Executive Director of Archway Community Services. “This will do so much to enhance the food the children receive each week, the number of children we can help and live on as ongoing endowment.”
“Compared to providing for approximately 60 students at a small number of schools prior to the pandemic, the Starfish program now provides food packs to approximately 170 students at more schools.”
In Mission, every weekend, teams from the Starfish Backpack Program distribute backpacks containing two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners and two snacks to hungry kids and their families. The program is receiving $2,000 monthly for a minimum of four months from United Way.