Maritimer of the Week

At 96 years old, George Kelley is an inspiration to his community, volunteering twice a week at his local food bank.

Whether on bag duty or stocking shelves, Kelley is always ready and willing to help at the Saint John East Food Bank, and has done so since the late 1980s.

“Lady that I knew well was working here and she invited me to come see it, she told me I'd work about once or twice a month, but it's once or twice a week,” says Kelley.

That was more than 25 years ago. Since then, Kelley has showed up faithfully every Tuesday and Friday.

“Clients who come in, they look for certain people. He always opens the door, so he's the first one they see,” says food bank chair Marian Goguen.

Goguen says Kelley’s help at the food bank is invaluable.

“He'll do anything. He's just an energizer bunny, that's what we call him. He just goes, goes, goes,” says Goguen.

Volunteers and staff say the positive energy Kelley brings makes the work day much more enjoyable.

“Oh, he's so wonderful. He brings joy to everybody,” says volunteer Jeannie Buchanan.

“We really appreciate George, he does a tremendous job,” says volunteer Bob Adams.

Kelley says he will remain busy and continue his work at the food bank for as long as he can. He says while he is giving back to his community, he feels as if he is the one on the receiving end. 

Congratulations to George Kelley, our Maritimer of the Week!

 

If you know someone deserving of our Maritimer of the Week award, we want to hear about it.

It doesn’t matter how old they are, the nature of the good deed they’ve done, or what part of the region they live in – we want your ideas!

Please send your nomination to:

[e-mail]

or

Maritimer of the Week

P.O. Box 1653

Halifax, N.S.

B3J 2Z4