“I’ve seen how much the need for food assistance can impact a child,” Stephanie shared.
“It affects their ability to focus, get their brains going, and ability to learn.”
Stephanie has been involved in the distribution of Starfish Packs at Abbotsford Senior since 2016, but her role with the program expanded significantly in recent years.
She noted that the level of food insecurity became far more visible after the COVID‑19 pandemic.
“I’ve never seen the need for food assistance as much as I have post‑pandemic,” she explained. “Things just skyrocketed at that point.”
Help Provide Nutritious Food to Local Children
How Students Access the Program
The Starfish Pack Program began as a pilot in Abbotsford in 2013, with just six packs and one school. With the help of Rotary Club, it quickly expanded to now support more than 750 students weekly across 41 schools in the Abbotsford School District.
At the beginning of each school year, students who have been identified by staff or administration as needing the program are sent home with a letter from the school explaining the Starfish program and informing families that they can sign up for weekend food packs.
“The letter comes out, and I go through last year’s list to see who has graduated or moved and who remains at our school and may still need support,” Stephanie shared. “Some families’ situations change, so we follow up.”
Last school year, Abbotsford Senior distributed approximately 34 Starfish Packs each week to provide food over the weekend to fill the gaps between school food programming. Each program participant receives enough food for 6 meals over the weekend, and every child in a participating family receives their own pack.
“The letter comes out, and I go through last year’s list to see who has graduated or moved and who remains at our school and may still need support. Some families’ situations change, so we follow up.”
Supporting a Diverse School Community
“We’re seeing a lot of immigrant families represented in the classroom,” Stephanie noted.
“Syrian, Afghan, Ukrainian, African. Many of those families are on our list.”
At times, Stephanie has noticed that some students avoid picking up food, as “some kids feel ashamed about taking a bag of food home.”
“That’s not something we can control, but we do our best to make food pick-up as private and confidential as possible, helping students access support in a way that feels comfortable, respectful, and discreet.”
To ensure no family goes without, Stephanie will occasionally deliver Starfish Packs directly to students’ homes when bags are not picked up.
“What makes Starfish so powerful is the community behind it,” said Kyoka Yamakawa, Starfish Pack coordinator. “From school staff to volunteers to donors, every bag represents people coming together to support children when they need it most.”
The contents of the Starfish Packs are carefully planned, with one standard pack that balances nutrition, cultural and dietary needs, kids’ preferences, cost, size (must fit into one cloth bag), and shelf-stable contents.
The packs are also pescetarian and vegetarian, making them accessible for the diverse needs of our community.
“The bags are great. We have many Muslim families and knowing that the bags are also halal friendly is wonderful. They have lots of produce and a good variety of items each week.” Stephanie shared.
She also emphasized the vital role volunteers play in keeping the program running, especially Judy, who has been delivering Starfish Packs to their school for the past three years.
“She’s so polite and helpful,” Stephanie exclaimed. “She’s always here by 9:30am, which makes it easier to get the bags into classrooms. She’s reliable and fantastic. I just love Judy.”
“What makes Starfish so powerful is the community behind it. From school staff to volunteers to donors, every bag represents people coming together to support children when they need it most.”
Items inside a Starfish pack.
Looking Ahead
As students head back to school, the need for Starfish Packs remains urgent. Ongoing financial pressures and rising costs continue to impact families, making this support more critical than ever for local children.
Since 2019, the Archway Food Bank has seen a 117% increase in the number of individuals needing food support. In 2025 alone, 10,288 individuals accessed the food bank—36% of them children.
With food banks across the country facing increasing strain, Stephanie believes community support and programs like Starfish are more important than ever.
“You hear on the news how much food banks are struggling,” she said. “The people who donate food and give cash make such a huge difference to the families being served. Knowing kids are going home with food means everything. It’s 100 percent helping.”
Help Provide Nutritious Food to Local Children
“You hear on the news how much food banks are struggling. The people who donate food and give cash make such a huge difference to the families being served. Knowing kids are going home with food means everything. It’s 100 percent helping.”