Local participation in North Delta Rotary’s Starfish Pack program has increased significantly since last school year, and the organization is looking for donations to help keep up with demand.
The Starfish Pack program provides students in need with food to sustain them over the weekend so they are healthy and ready to learn come Monday morning. The initiative is entirely volunteer-run and the club’s single biggest project, costing over $140,000 for the year and delivering around a ton of food per week.
Each pack contains about 10 pounds of food (enough food for six meals) including items such as cereals, oatmeal, pasta and pasta sauce, whole wheat English muffins, whole wheat tortillas, tuna or other canned meats, a variety of soups, chilli, peanut butter, jam, canned vegetables, fresh fruit and granola bars.
On average, each Starfish Pack helps feed at least two children over the weekend, and the contents of each pack are adjusted for dietary preferences (e.g. vegetarian) and food allergies.
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Since its beginnings at one North Delta school in 2016, the program has expanded year after year and now serves all 14 public elementaries in the community.
As of Oct. 19, the Rotary Club of North Delta was handing out 216 Starfish Packs a week — 63 more than when school let out in June. That’s an increase of 41 per cent.
“It shows that more families in our community are struggling to have enough food,” the club said in a press release. “Sadly, we expect this need to keep growing in the next few months.”
The program relies entirely on donations and sponsorships from both individuals and local companies. Each pack costs about $650 for the year, meaning the club will have to spend at least $140,400 to keep the program going — even more as additional families sign on.
“These hampers offer a critical lifeline, covering nearly 30 per cent of the weekly food budget for each household. When we consider the 200+ households [currently] being supported, this equates to approximately 850 people, including 450 children,” the club said.
“The Rotary Club of North Delta is committed to helping our community, especially when it comes to food. As more families need our Starfish Pack program, we hope the community will join us in supporting our neighbours who need a helping hand.”
To support the North Delta Starfish Pack program, head to starfishpack.com/delta or email ndrotaryclub@gmail.com. Tax receipts will be issued for all eligible donations.
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