“Imagine facing the weekend not knowing if there will be enough food at home. This is a harsh reality for too many students, as one in five children in B.C. experiences food insecurity due to rising food and housing costs that continue to burden families.”
“Food insecurity is hitting our communities hard. The rising cost of food and housing make it challenging for families to ensure their children have enough to eat, especially on weekends.” Mary Jackson, President of the non-profit Kalamalka Starfish Society
“[Kalamalka Starfish Program] opened the fundraiser on Friday, April 25, with the goal of raising money to support the group’s work to provide meals for school children in need.”
Click Here for North Okanagan Starfish “Lunches in Bunches” video by Gary Liu at Vernon Nissan.
The Kalamalka Starfish Society has launched a spring fundraiser for its weekend food program, anticipating a greater financial tariff impact to come. 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: