OFSJ founder Patrick Gordon (Image: Operation Feed SJ)
Patrick Gordon, founder of Operation Feed SJ, (OFSJ) is determined to erase poverty in Saint John, one bag of food at a time.
Gordon, a retired army veteran of three Afghanistan tours, was looking for ways to get involved in the community and was inspired after learning children in high poverty areas often rely on getting food through their schools.
“With the schools being shut down at the beginning of the pandemic and then moving forward with the continuous rotation of red, yellow, I just thought — ‘There’s no way that people that are in poverty are able to get substantial food to live by,’” said Gordon.
In February, Gordon started his goal to feed 50 families per month using food bags, beginning at St. John the Baptist School and a connection he made through a friend there. Prince Charles School was the second in March, with the organization now working on helping a third school.
Each bag consists of groceries to feed three people with three meals daily for a week. Each focuses on non-perishable food items while following Canada’s Food Guide as much as possible. Thus far, Operation Feed SJ has exceeded its goal to help 50 families each month, with Gordon now aiming to supply multiple schools per month.
OFSJ delivering their food packages to Prince Charles School (Image: Operation Feed SJ)
“What we’re doing is targeting schools and bringing the food right to them, because food banks don’t do that,” said Gordon. “We can feed some kids’ bellies and then hopefully they can go to school and not worry about their hunger or pain, they can worry about learning.”
After creating a video explaining OFSJ’s mission and its role as a non-profit whose donations go directly to the people who need them, Gordon was overwhelmed by the positive response from the community.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable the people that have come together to help me be successful with this mission,” he said, adding the Kennebecasis Valley Food Bank made a large donation of food. “I’ve had people donate their time, their money, their skills, their businesses, to continue to help this and also not only help sustain it, but help it grow as well.”
Gordon’s driving force is to partner with local businesses, (many of which have been impacted by COVID-19) who spread the word about OFSJ through their audience and social media. In turn, OFSJ lets people know these businesses are helping a good cause encouraging them to spend money on local businesses.
Examples of OFSJ’s partners include Pete’s Frootique at Saint John City Market, Rothesay’s Eco. Heat, The Community Brew Shop, Picaroons, Tim Horton’s and Complete Balance Physiotherapy.
Food packages ready to be delivered (Image: Operation Feed SJ Facebook)
“We partnered with a guy, [Andrew Holmes] that started a line of t-shirts in the city called Love Over It – I thought that our message was really intertwined with his,” he said. “It’s all about finding sustainable revenue for us to be able to continue to feed families every month, and then grow as a nonprofit and eventually become an established nonprofit.”
Saint John Hyundai is currently hosting a food drive for OFSJ, running until April 30, with OFSJ planning to host in-person meal fundraisers throughout the summer.
“Most veterans when we leave service, especially ones that served overseas, they come home feeling empty, feeling without a purpose and needing a place to put their energy” said Gordon. “I searched and searched and searched when I came home and I couldn’t find it, and I found it now – I feel like this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
