For Hailey, the Starfish Pack program is more than just a community initiative – it’s a symbol of community care that supported her family as a child when they needed it most.
Today, Hailey plays an important role in helping ensure more than 750 students across 41 Abbotsford schools receive weekend food packs through her role at Save-On-Foods. Each week, she coordinates the food orders that fill Starfish packs, carefully monitoring inventory and troubleshooting shortages, while playing a part in providing food security for kids in Abbotsford.
But years before her role at Save-On-Foods, Hailey was one of those children herself.
“I actually received Starfish as a child in elementary school for years,” said Hailey.
After moving from Ontario to Abbotsford in grade 3, Hailey’s family found themselves starting over in a new community. Like many families adjusting to a new life, finances were tight.
“Starfish Pack was a nice financial relief for my parents,” she recalled. “When you’re brand new somewhere, you don’t have anything to your name. You’re starting fresh.”
For two years, Hailey received Starfish packs at school. While she now understands the financial relief they provided, what she remembers most is the excitement.
“It was almost a thrill,” she said with a smile. “You’d wonder, ‘What’s going to be in the pack this time?’ And a lot of the food was the same stuff other kids had in their lunches, so you didn’t feel different.”
Years later, Hailey never expected Starfish would re-enter her life in such a meaningful way.
As a department manager at Save-On-Foods, she inherited the responsibility for coordinating Starfish food orders. The role quickly became much more than another task on her job description.
“Starfish definitely has a soft spot in my heart,” she said. “I’ve been in situations where I needed support and I needed that saving grace. It’s nice to be that for somebody else.”
Each week, Hailey works closely with Kyoka Yamakawa, the Archway Starfish Pack coordinator, to ensure thousands of food items arrive on time. Orders are placed weeks in advance and include a variety of food items to make up several full meal options during the weekend.
“In every pack, we always include seasonal fruits and vegetables, protein options, milk, snacks, and a grain, costing us about $25 to feed a child every week,” said Kyoka.
With such large and varied orders placed weekly, the program can experience issues with supply chain.
Just recently, it was Hailey’s quick action that saved an order at the last minute when a supplier unexpectedly shorted an order of naan bread.
Hailey and her assistant immediately began searching for a solution. With only days before the packs were scheduled to go out, they escalated the issue, secured replacement product, and personally delivered the bread to Archway to ensure students wouldn’t miss out.
“Hailey came to our distribution site on her day off before 8:00am to hand deliver 370 units of bread to Starfish in her own vehicle to make sure these kids got the food they rely on,” said Kyoka.
“Hailey is always a joy to work with and has helped me tremendously as Starfish navigates challenges like inflation, supply chain issues, client number increases, and other last-minute changes,” touted Kyoka.
“It was very important that they got everything they needed,” Hailey said. “It would have been a shame for the kids to miss out on something.”
Her experience has also given her a deep appreciation for the many people who work behind the scenes to make Starfish possible.
“When people see a Starfish pack, they don’t always realize how many people are involved,” she explained. “From the warehouse staff and delivery drivers to the volunteers packing bags, the coordinator, donors, and everyone in between – everybody matters. We all play a role in making sure children have equitable access to food.”
That community effort is what allows the Starfish Pack program to provide nutritious weekend food to hundreds of children throughout Abbotsford every week. The packs are assembled and delivered by dedicated volunteers and picked up discreetly at schools, helping ensure students return on Monday fully fed and ready to learn.
For Hailey, working alongside the program isn’t just about food. It’s about making sure children feel seen, cared for, and supported during some of the most important years of their lives.
“We all started as children,” she said. “Those years shape who we become. Making sure children are heard, cared for, and properly fed – that’s incredibly important. So if you’re considering donating to the program and you can, just do it,” she said. “It’s worth it. It helps a lot.”
As someone who has experienced Starfish from both sides – first as a child receiving support and now as a community partner helping on the back end – Hailey understands better than most the difference a meal can make.
In Abbotsford and across the region, many families experience barriers to consistent access to food, especially during times of transition, rising costs, or limited income, making programs like Starfish an important part of community response.
If you’d like to join Hailey in supporting the Starfish program, please consider donating or volunteering. As Hailey said, “we all play a role” in helping make sure every child has enough to eat every week.
