Breakfast Club of Canada
Breakfast programs ensure that all students have reliable access to nutritious food in a safe and supportive environment, in order to positively impact health and learning.
Our Guiding Principles:
- Give access to a healthy breakfast in a warm, inviting setting every day.
- Be available to all students at the elementary and high school level.
- Have every breakfast served by welcoming and attentive adults.
- Encourage students to volunteer their time to develop life skills, leadership acumen and self-confidence.
Starfish Pack
The Starfish Pack Program started as a pilot project with 6 backpacks as a response to an Abbotsford teacher’s cry for help. She was feeding many of her Kindergarten students who were coming to school on Monday hungry. The hunger was affecting their moods and their ability to focus in class. This was not just an Abbotsford problem.
Many students across the province rely on school breakfast and lunch programs to fill their tummy’s on school days. When it comes to the weekend, they don’t have the food they need. Starfish Pack was designed to help change that. Starfish provides backpacks with 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, and snacks to hungry students each weekend of the school year.
Teachers have reported improvements in children’s reading skills, math skills, ability to focus and to do partner work. Starfish has now expanded to over 20 cities and is helping make sure children across BC and Whatcom County don’t have to worry about weekend hunger.
In Langley, Starfish Packs are supported by two local organizations:
North Langley
VISIT ROTARY CLUB LANGLEY SUNRISE
Donate to Starfish North Langley
Students can participate in school nutrition programs from Monday to Friday, but weekends are different.
Teachers noticed that on Mondays some students could not concentrate and realized some children were coming to school hungry. These students didn’t have access to enough food on the weekends so their schools have identified them to participate in the Starfish Pack Program.
Since 2017 the Langley Sunrise Rotary Club has been able to fundraise through community events and activities to provide those elementary and middle school students in the North Langley area with nourishing food on weekends through the Starfish Pack Program. Packs are filled with nutritious food for students to take home to their families every weekend during the school year.
The cost to feed a child every weekend of the school year is approximately $1,000. With your help, the future looks brighter for kids when they don’t have to worry about being hungry on the weekends.”
Central Langley
Donate to Starfish Langley Central (in the contribution section please note it is for Starfish Langley Central).
United Churches of Langley volunteer members sort, pack and deliver backpacks to elementary schools each week when school is in session.
It costs approximately $1,000 per year to feed a child every weekend. The program is supported by the United Churches of Langley Social Justice and Outreach Program and a generous donation from the Shewan Foundation.
Each pack provides enough food for two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, fresh fruits and snacks for the weekend.
In the words of Gord Stewart – Langley School District retired Superintendent. “There are many reports that state starting the day with a healthy, well-balanced meal has a significant effect on academic success. The work done by the local Starfish group has been greatly appreciated by our staff, students and families.”
Backpack Buddies
We’re proud to partner with Backpack Buddies, a BC-based non-profit working to end weekend food insecurity for children. Every Friday, Backpack Buddies delivers kid-friendly, ready-to-eat meals and snacks to children in need, so they don’t go hungry over the weekend. backpackbuddies.ca
Together, we will:
Amplify awareness about child hunger in our communities
Mobilize resources so more kids have access to food when school isn’t in session
Leverage our combined networks to make meaningful, sustainable impact
You can help too, whether by donating, volunteering, or helping spread the word. Because when we join forces, we put hope back on the table.
Snack Program
Township of Langley Firefighters Charity and City of Langley Fire Rescue Service
Our commitment to promoting the well-being of students in Langley has been unwavering since the inception of our initiative in 2014. Over the years, we have proudly extended our support by providing healthy snacks to students in need across various schools in the community.
The core of our program lies in its inclusivity; any Langley school that expresses interest is welcome to participate. We believe that every student, regardless of their socio-economic background, deserves access to nutritious and energy-producing snacks to fuel their minds and bodies throughout the demanding school day.
