Patrick remembers the struggles of being homeless. For him, those three years were his rock bottom.
“Because of my addiction to alcohol I lost my job at the bakery and then my apartment,” said Patrick.
He remembers during this time he had no money for food and began relying on inner-city agencies for support.
“A friend told me about The Mustard Seed when I was on the streets, and I began coming there for the evening meals. I like The Mustard Seed because the environment was different, it did not encourage people to use when they were there.”
Over time Patrick was able to find a place to live with his girlfriend and he wanted to give back to the organizations that helped him during his time of need.
“I started to help out by carrying boxes or to pack up during the meals,” said Patrick.
His love for volunteering kept growing, and Patrick started finding new ways to give back. He began helping out at The Mustard Seed Food Bank four years ago and extended his service to Bissell where he volunteers with the inner-city pastoral ministry as a door greeter and helps distributes packed lunches.
“I help do everything now at the Food Bank, I even got my food safety certificate so I can help out more.”
At the Food Bank everyone knows Patrick. He is the friendly face that helps train new volunteers, and the one that helps distribute hampers to others in need.
“I try to stay positive because I see others who are homeless. I try to share my story with them.”
Patrick plans on learning ASL so that he can better communicate with the community that are hard of hearing. His goal is to continue to help others who are struggling and give back as much as he can.
