“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:
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:
The Abbotsford Grand Squares raised almost $2,200 for the Starfish Pack Program during a benefit dance on March 8th, 2025.
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.
Penticton’s KVR Middle School Grade 7 students finished off their work helping out at the Elks Lodge with packing the last Starfish bags of the year on Wednesday.
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:
Twenty-four Grade seven students and their teacher from Penticton’s KVR Middle School came out to help at the Elks Lodge with packing Starfish bags on Wednesday morning, eager to give back.
An increased need for Starfish Packs for students in Abbotsford schools means that the Archway Community Services program can no longer meet the demand in its existing space.
Currently, 730 students in 41 elementary, middle, and high schools receive a weekly pack full of food to eat over the weekend when they don’t have access to school meals. Now halfway through the school year 12,494 packs have already been delivered and the Starfish Pack Program expects to distribute more than 25,700 packs by the end of the school year.