The St. Joe’s Supper Table, the community meal programme and food bank operated by St. Joseph’s Parish in Sandy Hill, is getting some help from a passionate teenager and parishioner — the 17 year-old Louis Jacques. The determined young man is running 1,500 kilometres between Ottawa and Prince Edward Island in a campaign to raise much needed funds for the soup kitchen and food bank, and to raise awareness about food insecurity nationally. Louis hopes to raise $15,000. He’s already well on his way, having exceeded the $11,000 mark.
Louis began running in phases in late March and will wrap up his journey before the school year starts in September. Having volunteered at the St. Joe’s Supper Table dinner service with his father for several years, he was struck by the acute need and the human face of food insecurity. In an interview with City News, he said: “There was a mom who came in with her little kid, who was about seven. It just made me think about my little cousins; I couldn’t imagine them needing to come in to grab a meal.”
“Run for Your Supper” will wrap up in Georgetown, PEI at the end of the summer.
The St. Joe’s Supper Table was established in 1978 by Fr. Fred Magee, a priest with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate serving at St. Joseph’s Parish in Sandy Hill. At first, Fr. Fred handed out sandwiches from the rectory to those in need. Over the years, however, the programme expanded to include a hot dinner service Monday through Friday, coffee and snacks in the morning and a weekly food bank.
“Run For Your Supper” continues to accept donations here. The successive heat waves haven’t stopped Louis — he continues to pound the pavement!
Born in Montreal, Christopher Adam has called Ottawa home for the past twenty years. He received his MA from Carleton University, with a thesis focusing on twentieth century European church history, and a PhD in History from the University of Ottawa. Over the years, he has published widely and works in the faith-based charitable sector in Ottawa.