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:
Food insecurity affects 18 per cent of families across the province, and the North Okanagan is no exception, according to the Kalamalka Starfish Society:
The [North Okanagan] Starfish Society has been providing weekend backpacks for students for more than eight years, covering any food shortages over the weekend when access to school meal programs is unavailable. Mary Jackson, President of the Kalamalka Starfish Society, stated, “The need for these bags has doubled in the past two years, and in just four months, 50 volunteers sorted, packed, and delivered more than 4,300 backpacks.”
“As we see the need for the backpacks grow, we realize that these children and families will need this support throughout the summer months too. This grant will support our summer pilot program to supply 800 backpacks. We will also partner with the SD 22 Food Coordinator to host ‘Family Food Nights’ where we cook a meal together with a group of families.”
“We started the year with 209 bags and expect to exceed 240 bags a week in the coming months,” said director of operations Darryl O’Brian. “Last year we experienced a 68 per cent increase in demand over the previous year and we are already seeing increases of 20 per cent each week this year.”
Starfish Pack Program in North Okanagan sends out 221 food bags to students in need. Watch Vernon 107.5 Beach Radio’s video of the packing process below:
“We are fortunate to have a team of dedicated volunteers to support the program—from delivering and sorting the food to packing the bags and taking them to schools,” Kalamalka Starfish Society vice-president Darryl O’Brian says. The program is supported by local partners including Kalamalka Rotary, Save-On-Foods-Village Green, School Districts 22 and 83, Keith Construction and Wayside. It’s a true community effort that addresses a vital need:
“We believe every child should have access to a regular, nutritious diet,” Mary Jackson, President of the [Kalamalka Starfish] Society, said. Read the full article below:
Food insecurity appears to be growing in the North Okanagan as the Kalamalka Starfish Society continues to see an increased demand for free meal kits.
The group says funding is critical to ensure students continue to have access to Starfish Bags that provide food insecure elementary and middle school students with a weekend food kit: