Starfish Pack Program celebrates 3 years

A program that provides children a backpack full of food celebrated it’s third year of success.

The Starfish Pack Program supports 90 school children in the Greater Vernon area.

The children receive three meals a day, fresh fruit, and some snacks to ensure that they don’t go hungry over the weekend.

The program was started in 2016 as a way to address food insecurity in the region and was started in partnership with Save-On- Foods, Kalamalka Rotary, School District 22 and the Okanagan Boys and Girls club.

Three champion donors were celebrated thanks to their contribution of over 10 backpacks a year.

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Great West Equipment, Tolko and Bannister Automotive group were among the recipients.

“Tolko is proud to support a program that positively impacts families in the communities where we live and work,” says Tolko President and CEO Brad Thorlakson, in a press release statement.

” Our employees have been eager to participate, and find it rewarding to know that kids will have nutritious food to take home with them to last them the weekend,” he added.

The program is community funded and relies on a team of volunteers.

The program kicked off their fundraising campaign on Thursday with the hopes of serving even more children.

“Our goal is to ensure no child goes hungry in Greater Vernon. We’ve made a great start, but there are more schools and children who need our help,” said Dr. Carmen Larson, Chair of the Kalamalka Rotary Club.

The Kalamalka Rotary club says that the program spends $15.00 a week or $525 a year to provide the meals.

For more information, or to make a donation visit : http://starfishpack.com/vernon/

Editor’s note: Save-On-Foods is a division of the Jim Pattison Group.