An Abbotsford boy who set out to raise $9,000 for the Starfish Pack program is about $2,300 away from his goal, with just a few days left to his deadline.
Chase, 6, has so far collected almost $6,700 – enough to fill 12.5 backpacks.
The program provides backpacks filled with food for school-aged kids to take home on the weekends. It currently serves 263 children in Abbotsford at a cost of $525 per child for a school year.
Chase initially set a goal to raise $50 for the Starfish Pack program, in lieu of receiving gifts for his birthday on March 22.
Chase and his mom, Eliza Miller, made a poster to promote his plan and posted it on Facebook. Within 48 hours, $534 had been collected, and Chase hiked his goal to $9,000 – enough to fill 17 backpacks.
Two fundraisers have helped boost the funds. The first, called Chase’s Lemonade Stand and Bottle Drive, was held March 6 at Godson elementary.
The second, a 24-hour online auction, took place over the weekend.
Donations are being accepted until this Thursday, March 31 at Play Abby (2043 Abbotsford Way).
They are also being accepted online until Monday, April 4 at noon via PayPal at paypal.me/chasesbirthdaywish or by email transfer to elizaemberly@gmail.com.
For more information, visit “Chases’ Birthday Wish” on Facebook.