People In My Kitchen Podcast by Eric Bollman

Ryan Doucette, one of the newer staff members at Operation Come Home, sits down with me to discuss the reality campaign, what brought him to OCH, how he sees his role in regards to street-involved youth, and how he would do as a military sniper. You know, should that end up being a second career.

Jenna Odorico, Operation Come Home's school facilitator, sits down for a short chat about the 24 Hours of Homelessness, Shlomo's campaign to pie Mayor Jim Watson, the $24 Challenge, and live music strip clubs in New Brunswick.

Jenna is my co-organizer of this year's #SuperbOwl party at the Mill Street Brew Pub in Ottawa - coming up Sunday! See you there? It's a great fundraiser!

Lynda Franc, the driving force behind Operation Come Home's annual reality campaign and my co-organizer for the past five years? Six years? We've all lost track. Here, we discuss this year's campaign, being arrested in Newfoundland, and observing a wedding from the rafters.

Shlomo is one of my favourite people. I first met him four years ago, as we were preparing to do the 24 Hours Of Homelessness event for Operation Come Home. He had just come from sleeping in a parking garage after what had proved to be the coldest night of the entire year. Much like tonight's -35. Homeless, fighting mental illness, and addicted, Shlomo was lost.

Today, he's found. He went through Operation Come Home's variety of programs, and came out the other side clean and sober, employed, housed, and ready to really do something. That something was helping Operation Come Home with this year's 24 Hours of Homelessness and our reality campaign.

He has a campaign going where he has convinced Ottawa mayor Jim Watson to get a pie in the face if Shlomo is able to raise $10,000 for OCH. To read Shlomo's full story, and donate to his campaign, go to www.pieourmayor.ca.

In this podcast, we talk Criminal Minds and mental illness, the theft of toilet paper, avoiding fisticuffs and how the mayor can get out of this pie-in-the-face bet. (Hint: it involves core funding.) Take a listen, please - get to know this terrific kid the way I know him, and you'll be cheering for him and his initiative until it's done.
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/operation-come-home/campaign/theottawapiechallenge/