
The purpose of the Starfish Backpack Program is to provide food to Tri Cities Students who are currently going hungry. While relatively new to the Tri-Cities, the Starfish Backpack Program, coordinated by Rotary Clubs and other Service Organizations, has been operating for a few years in other areas around the province.
There’s a lot of need. It’s in areas where you don’t expect it, said Katrina Shelast who helped launch the program in September of 2015. There are plenty of families living in basements and rental suits all over our community. It’s not obvious – there are a lot of working poor.
Our program is currently feeding about 25 to 30 children per week with hopes of reaching more students. Student’s who get the weekly backpacks are referred by their school’s principal or school counsellor. The annual cost per student is $525 and donations are always needed.