Operation Feed SJ marks 500,000 food bag drops since 2021

Operation Feed has handed out more than half a million meals to families in need in Saint John.

In 2021, retired Canadian Armed Forces Sergeant Patrick Gordon was searching for a purpose following his time in uniform.

After three tours in Afghanistan, including being struck by an IED (improvised explosive device) in 2008, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled with substance abuse.

“Once I got myself pointed in the right direction and I got away from the alcohol, I was really starving for a purpose, a meaningful purpose,” says Gordon. “When I recognized that our community was hurting and then there was that many children in our community going without [food].

“Saint John has, if not the highest child poverty rate in Canada. I decided I had to get involved somehow.”

What started as just a few simple drops of food for those in need has grown into a full-blown operation.

The mission of Operation Feed is two-fold. One is to feed the most vulnerable people in their city, and the other is the feeding of the mind, body and soul of veterans and first responders.

“The mind is the peer support,” says Gordon, who is the founder and CEO of Operation Feed. “The body is our gym, and the soul is our charity, giving those men and women a place to put their energy after they’re done and time in uniform.”

The veteran-run charity aims to inspire veterans and first responders on a pathway towards healing through community engagement. Gordon says the community engagement is achieved through filling bags with food and dropping them at schools and other locations around the Port City.

Each bag has enough food to make more than 50 meals, says Gordon. Last week, the organization marked 500,000 bags dropped since starting the operation in 2021.

“It became this entity that I almost didn’t control anymore, it became a lot bigger than myself,” says Gordon. “Before you know it, 500,000 meals, 25 veterans and first responders part of this community, we have a building now that has a gym, and I’m personally a peer support interventionist now as well.”

Gordon says the dedicated service to the community is a testament to the men and women involved with Operation Feed. He points out how their skillsets don’t just identify with the uniform they once wore.

He says the work they are doing in the community is transferable, gives them a meaningful purpose and helps them not to focus on some negative experiences they may have had while serving the country.

“Being able to give a family in need food, it gives you that that purpose again,” says Gordon, who points out some veterans always feel a need to serve even after the uniform is taken off. “It feels just as welcoming as that uniform once did.”

Gordon admits he struggled with his own identity after he left the service as he dealt with feelings of what he was going to be post service and if he was still useful.

“When I said I was going to give about 50 bags of food every month, I did that,” Gordon says. “Then when I said I was going to give out 70 bags of food every month, I’ve done that. We will eventually get to 100 bags, and we will eventually get to a point where we are able to give every family in our community a bag of food, because I truly believe that we can.”

One of the many beneficiaries of the continued work of Operation Feed is the Pregnancy Resource Center of Saint John.

The center helps people navigate their way through the challenges that can come with an unexpected pregnancy. At times, that can mean not having enough money to get proper food.

“Operation Feed has been absolutely a game changer and lifesaving for us,” says Joanne Mullen, executive director for the center. “Poverty and food insecurity is reaching all-time highs, especially through the COVID years, and not just having access to quality food and trying to feed your family can be really difficult.”

Mullen admits it was Gordon who first contacted her to see if they needed any help, who at the time wasn’t a known group to the center. What started as a one-off drop has now become a routine stop for Operation Feed.

“They’re meeting an immediate need, which really helps us meet deeper needs,” Mullen says. “He’s not only meeting the needs of the local community, but he’s also combating PTSD and all kinds of other things that I could barely speak to properly. It’s just so wonderful to see such a strong, healthy, vibrant community.

“The food bag is really just the tip of the iceberg of the underlying work they’re doing in creating a better community.”

Operation Feed does not accept food donations like a typical foodbank. Gordon says they prefer monetary donations so they can purchase what they need when they need it for those they are helping serve.

Those looking to donate, or veterans and first responders looking to become a part of the mission, can go to Operation Feed’s website and Facebook page.

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