Looking Back On 2026 Summer Starfish
At Archway Food Bank’s Starfish Pack program, our pledge to bridge the weekend hunger gap doesn’t end on the last day of school. Summers should be for growing, playing, and making memories, not grumbling bellies- which is why the Starfish Pack program extends into July and August to ensure that kids continue receiving the nutritious food they need over the summer break.
Record-Breaking Need
The need for our weekend food program is the highest it has ever been. This year, we saw a record-breaking need for summer food support. We planned and budgeted for 450 kids but there was unexpectedly an overwhelming amount of children registered and sadly many were left on the waitlist. As we look ahead to the school year, we are hoping to raise enough support to support all those who sign up. We were left with a waitlist of over 195 students this summer. These numbers illustrate the clear need for food support in Abbotsford as food prices and cost of living continue to climb across our city.
More Choice, Healthier Kids
During the summer program we are able to offer a choice-model food collection. This means each family can have the grocery shop experience, where they can choose from a selection of nutritious foods to bring home. This year, we were proud to expand our food options to provide more choice, which is a priority across the Food Banks Canada network, to improve the experience for clients with dietary restrictions. This meant more options for gluten, lactose, and sugar sensitivities, with products like gluten-free bread and cereal, dairy-free milk, and lower sugar snacks. This also meant offering more food options that are well known and loved across our diverse community, like vermicelli noodles, instant curry, barley, and naan. Choice is an important part of our diets and we are so happy to offer a large selection of foods for people’s preferences, dietary, and cultural needs.
Fresh Food Brings Smiles
Food Banks Canada’s After the Bell program provided much needed funding for Starfish Pack to purchase fresh food like fruits, vegetables, milk and eggs, together with a donation of healthy food packs. Vitalus Nutrition, an Abbotsford-based dairy ingredient supplier, generously packed and donated over snack packs containing kid favorites like chocolate milk and pepperoni, bringing a smile to the faces of over 450 children every other week. Our most sought-after products year after year are fresh fruits, vegetables, milk and eggs, and we are proud to have expanded our selection in these categories to better meet the needs of our neighbours.
[Mehar (CSJ), Joanne (Volunteer), Alan (Volunteer)]
The Power of Volunteers
You may wonder how we do this every year- with the power of volunteers! This summer, over 250 volunteer hours fueled the preparation and execution of this program. Volunteers of all walks of life, from all parts of our community, served hundreds of families every week with a smile. We are so grateful to our passionate volunteer team, including volunteers from , staff from Abbotsford Pentecostal Assembly, staff from the Bank of Montreal, Ikea, and Longboard . We thank our location partners Abbotsford Pentecostal Assembly and the Abbotsford School district for providing us with central and welcoming food distribution spaces for Starfish pack participants to shop with us.
[Volunteers: Avery (CSJ), Marg, Darrel, Bernie, Beth, Dan, Mehar (CSJ), Debbie, Maureen, Carrie Ann, Portia, Maya]
Hunger Doesn’t Take a Break
School may take a break, but hunger doesn’t. For Starfish parents, the relief of knowing that there is nutritious food their children can count on is palpable. Here’s what Starfish families have to say about the program, the donors, and the volunteers:
“I appreciate everything this program and its participants have done for my family, I would not be able to have peace of mind for my children’s growing needs with food if it wasn’t for this program”
“Our family wants to say thank you, for all the people behind this program, the volunteers and donors helps our family and every family that have a kids that needs to support their basic needs and food is the biggest portion of that basic needs to in our daily living….thank you so much to all your help and support. God bless us all.♥️🙏”
“Thank you so much for providing a bit of extra help to students! For many of us this makes a huge difference to get through between paydays!”
Weekend hunger does not stop when the school year begins. Help provide students with reliable and nutritious food over the weekend throughout the school year by donating here: Donate-StarfishPack Abbotsford | Food Bank Archway Food Bank