St. Thomas Association for Rural Service (STARS) is a registered society and it was established in1991 for the all-round development of rural communities.

STARS has been working in several fields such as development of the disabled, rehabilitation of the displaced, and development of rural communities in Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasargod and Wayanad districts of Kerala and Chamarajnagar districts of Karnataka. It coordinates different social work activities of Calicut province of the CMI congregation.

With the financial support of the Karl Kubel Foundation, a German funding agency, it has taken the initiatives to start literacy and poverty eradication programmes in the Gundlupete block of Karnataka state of South India and Edapuzha village of Kannur district in Kerala. In 1996 STARS started activities in the field of disability rehabilitation and development. Now these activities have become its premier activities. The school for the mentally challenged and the psychosocial rehabilitation centre for the differently abled stand out in Kozhikode city as STARS veritable commitment to service to God and Country. A manufacturing unit, as part of macro income generation programme at the rehabilitation centre, was another feather on STARS’ hat. STARS has been living up to its vision of “Creating a Society in which all disadvantaged persons lives a just and dignified life.”

STARS had its origin after long birth pangs due to charity and welfare approaches of development. Down through the years, our area in and around Kozhikode witnessed this 'band-aid' development which could not heal the wounds of exploitation, lopsided development and various discriminations. As a panacea to this age old problems faced by the poorest people, our pioneers developed a vision for a new Society based on justice, equality and fullness of life for all. Thus the St.Thomas Association for Rural Service (STARS) came into existence and got registered as a Social Service Society in September 1991. The goal of the organization is the inclusion of the socially and economically excluded sections of the society to the mainstream.