This past year, thanks to the support of our generous community, and an incredible team of volunteers, the Archway Starfish Pack Program surpassed 10 years of operation in Abbotsford.
In the past decade, volunteers have packed and delivered over 70,000 packs to local students at their schools to take home over the weekend. These 70,000 packs don’t even include all the packs provided over the summer months while school is out.
Starfish has been very busy this year! From providing 500 emergency essential pantry boxes to families in May and June, to doubling the number of participants in our Summer Starfish program. With kids back to school, we’re happy to be launching our regular weekly backpack deliveries. Starfish has never stopped helping more families – now, more than ever before.
Reimagining Summer Starfish Packs presented many challenges as we continue to operate within the guidelines of Stage 3 Reopening. From sourcing volunteers to finding adequate storage and sorting space, many unknowns were met by a positive response from a generous community. We are excited to say that despite the challenges, we have officially launched our third year of our Summer Starfish program! This ensures families can receive help all year long, not just during the school year.