“Not having to choose between paying bills and putting food on the table is something that the program has made possible for me.”
“I never felt embarrassed. I felt empowered and cared for.”
These are just a few of the heartfelt comments received from parents enrolled in the Starfish Pack program.
The need for Starfish Packs has been growing every year since its inception in 2013. Last school year, 634 students benefited from the program. This school year, 741 students were enrolled in the program.
The Starfish Pack program distributed 24,843 packs in the 2023/2024 school year.
“We now help double the number of students than we did in 2020 and capacity issues mean we have a waitlist for the first time,” said Rebecca Thuro, Manager of Food Security.
The need was so great that Archway could no longer meet the demand in its existing space within the Food Bank and Central Heights Church. A new space was sought from the community earlier this year to accommodate the increased demand for Archway the Starfish Pack program. A new space has not been found as of yet, so the program continues to serve clients from Central Heights Church.
“Central Heights Church has been an incredible partner to Starfish, packing and delivering 95 packs each week, and allowing us to store carts and supplies all school year. We are grateful that they share their space to sort food at no cost to the program; however, until we find a new space, we will not be able to serve more students,” said Starfish Packs program coordinator, Meghan Kellington.
Example foods that would typically be in a Starfish pack.
“Not having to choose between paying bills and putting food on the table is something that the program has made possible for me. I never felt embarrassed. I felt empowered and cared for.”
How Starfish Pack Started
The Starfish Pack program started as a pilot project of the Archway Food Bank in 2013 as a response to an Abbotsford teacher’s cry for help. The teacher noticed that some of her kindergarten students were coming to school on Monday hungry, which was deeply affecting their state of mind and their ability to stay focused in class.
The pilot project distributed only six packs in its first year. Two years later, the program was feeding over 200 students and is now feeding over 700 students across Abbotsford.
Many students rely on school breakfast and lunch programs on school days and Starfish Pack was designed to fill in the gaps on the weekend. With guidance from a nutritionist, Starfish provides packs of two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, and snacks to feed hungry students in 39 elementary, middle, and high schools across Abbotsford each weekend throughout the school year.
“We now help double the number of students than we did in 2020 and capacity issues mean we have a waitlist for the first time.”
What About In The Summer?
The Summer Starfish Pack program was created in 2018 to help fill the gap to ensure that children and their families have access to healthy foods once their school meal programs close over the summer.
“This program is wonderful and helped make sure the kids had good meals and snacks throughout the summer! The pick-up was easy and convenient for us. We appreciate this program and its volunteers so much!” – Summer Starfish Parent
As the cost of groceries continues to rise, the number of children registered in the Summer Starfish program increases every year; over 400 children are expected to benefit this summer.
Summer Starfish Pack Volunteers
“This program is wonderful and helped make sure the kids had good meals and snacks throughout the summer! The pick-up was easy and convenient for us. We appreciate this program and its volunteers so much!”
How The Program Works
In partnership with the Abbotsford School District, schools identify how many children need food support. Volunteers pack and deliver bags to thirty-nine schools located across Abbotsford. Students take packs home at the end of the school week, so they have food for the weekend and are ready to learn on Monday.
During the summer, families are invited to sign up for the Summer Starfish program, where they visit a pre-arranged pick-up location bi-weekly to receive bulked up versions of what is included in the regular Starfish packs.
The programs wouldn’t be possible without the hundreds of dedicated volunteers that contribute their time to shop, assemble and deliver the backpacks every week.
“Without the Summer Starfish program, I don’t know how I would have managed to stretch our grocery budget. With the extra help this program provided, I was able to still do summer activities with the children and hopefully provide them with positive core memories; without feeling any food anxiety.” – Summer Starfish Parent
Despite facing increasing need each year, the Starfish Packs program continues to empower Abbotsford families to provide food for their children.
“This year I was hit with some unexpected expenses and prices have gone up. I ran out of food a couple times and this help allowed me to say yes to kids when they wanted milk or fruit or veggies as well as the staples.” – Summer Starfish Parent
“This year I was hit with some unexpected expenses and prices have gone up. I ran out of food a couple times and this help allowed me to say yes to kids when they wanted milk or fruit or veggies as well as the staples.