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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.”

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“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.”

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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:

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“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:

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“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:

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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:

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The Starfish program provides 240 weekend bags of food to 20 elementary, middle and alternate schools in the North Okanagan. The food bags are a lifeline for students living in a state of food insecurity, providing them with two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, snacks, veggies and fruit over the weekends.

But the problem of food insecurity doesn’t go away when school is out for the summer:

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