Early each Friday morning a group of volunteers gathers in the gym at Parkside Secondary School.
There, in an assembly line fashion honed by experience, they package up food in shopping bags for delivery to area schools.
"We're there around 7:45 a.m. and often out the door and off to the schools by 8:30 a.m.," says Rotary Club of Terrace - Skeena Valley president Terry Morris.
The weekly effort is Operation Starfish, a Rotary-project that has spread from the Lower Mainland to clubs around the province.
While schools now routinely have food programs for weekdays, Operation Starfish works to meet food needs of students on weekends, said Morris.
It began when teachers noticed that children came to school hungry Monday mornings.
For this school year, Operation Starfish packages up 132 bags a week for delivery to students at eight area schools.
The weekly total has been higher in some years but also lower of the six years it has been going on here, Morris said.
"We go from the middle of September as by that time the teachers will know the needs of their students right to the end of the school year," he added. "It's for students right from the beginning up to Skeena Middle School."
Each bag contains enough food for the weekend for a student and a few other people.
Items include staples such as pasta, cereal, peanut butter and jam. Perishables are not included although each student will find an apple, a banana an an orange included in their bag.
The food comes via Save On and is even delivered to the Parkside gym by the store.
"We pay for the food but we get a good price," said Morris.
The volunteer packing group is made up of Rotarians and other community members. Once packed, the volunteers deliver to the schools.
Money to support the program comes from a variety of sources. The latest was a massive used book sale where donations were taken.
"It was pretty much Jack Kennedy's idea. We also got a lot of help from Misty River Books owner Anna Beddie," said Morris.
