This 3-year project called Project STAR runs out of the Flemingdon Park Ministry and Food Bank. It aims to help food bank participants make progress in key settlement areas like employment, income, and education through self-case management. Project STAR will offer skills training in self-case management, access to resources, and case management and referral services. Research showed community strengths but also challenges like poverty, language barriers, and lack of access to opportunities. Project STAR hopes to address these challenges through collaboration between community organizations.

1. Welcoming In and Reaching Out:
Project STAR
Flemingdon Park Ministry and Food Bank, 747 Don Mills Rd. Unit 36,
Toronto, Ontario, M3C 3S4 Tel. (416) 425-1841, Fax. (416)425-9850
#1 STARLIT News (Oct. 2007)
This 3-year project, 2007-2010, runs out of the Flemingdon Park Ministry
and Food Bank and is funded by World Vision Canada’s Partners to End
Child Poverty Program. The project goal is that:
 Food Bank participants make progress in key settlement areas
(employment, income, food security, housing, health, education,
socio-cultural) through self-case management
The Flemingdon Park Ministry and Food Bank
We serve a pluralistic, multi-cultural and multi-faith community of
immigrants. Flemingdon Park has the third highest poverty rate in the city
of Toronto and Thorncliffe Park is in 12th place.
Our social justice programs are: Food Bank; Drop-In Program; social-
recreation programs for children, women and older adults; faith
development and inter-faith activities. The Food Bank distributes over 400
food hampers per month; the hampers reach over 1,200 people and half of
these are children. Volunteers, including new immigrants with diverse
language skills, work as part of a team to make these projects successful.
The Research: Development of Project STAR
Methodology
STAR is a community development initiative. It is grounded in an action
research project that evaluated the community’s hopes and dreams,
strengths, challenges and solutions for change. Stakeholder interviews,
focus groups and questionnaires were part of the research.
Partners
Flemingdon Park Ministry and Food Bank, World Vision Canada, Diocese
of Toronto – FaithWorks, Toronto Public Library, Global Closet, Afghan
Women’s Centre, LINC language program, Flemingdon Legal Services,
Flemingdon Health Centre; the communities of Flemingdon and
Thorncliffe Park.

2. 2
Results of the Research
1. Community strengths: good programs and services; diverse
community; good people with skills and positive attributes;
2. Hopes and dreams: a better life and future for children; fair chances,
fair treatment and access to opportunities and resources;
3. Challenges: “loss” of a good life; poverty; socio-cultural barriers (e.g.,
culture, language, employment, health issues, crime);
4. Solutions: personal and community initiative and responsibility; social
system changes (e.g., OW benefits); interagency collaboration; and a
Food Bank Resource and Referral Person to offer interpreter and
cultural assistance and access to opportunities and resources.
Project STAR (Skills, Train, Access, Resources)
Project STAR operates on a partnership model that includes members from
the community, faith-based, health and social service sectors. STAR offers
skills training in self-case management. Community development, policy
initiatives and partnerships are key features.
Skills:
Participants learn skills in self-case management: 1) developing an action
plan; 2) accessing settlement information; 3) advocating for oneself;
Training:
Three individual sessions with a case manager are required: 1) assessing
goals and needs; 2) skills training; 3) progress monitoring;
Services for access to resources:
We offer 1) a STAR service information resource in print and video format;
2) Language and cultural interpreters (English, Dari/Farsi, Tamil, Spanish);
3) Case management and referral; and 4) Skills training workshops
STAR offers a community model for building self-sufficiency in immigrant
families. This model is transferable to different cultural groups and locales
within the Canadian context.
Welcome To Project STAR!!!
Project STAR will enter a pilot phase in October 2007.
Please ask staff for further information on how to join this project.