Board of Directors

John Young, Co-Founder and Chairman
Chief Executive Officer, Boat Rocker Media, LLB (Hons), Dip LP.

Jessica Roelink, Charity Founder and former Executive Director at Dress for Success Toronto & Dress Your Best charities, began her life journey of serving those less fortunate back in 2000. Jessica has received both the Volunteer of the Year Award from the City of Toronto and Flare magazine’s Canadian National Volunteer Award; however, she insists that the very people she helps inspire her and that her volunteers drive her achievements. Jessica also received a nomination for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Award and a nomination for Toronto’s Top 40 Under 40.

As a teenager, Jessica went from volunteer of the month to Director of Operations at a local clothing bank, and by her early twenties was turning professional clothing into a charitable movement. In 2001, Jessica founded her own charity using her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for volunteering as tools to garner success for almost twenty years in the non-profit sector. Although Jessica originally studied Construction Engineering, she never entered into the construction industry as she was too busy building a great charity that today, continues to improve the lives of thousands of disadvantaged Canadians.

“I was alarmed when I learned that 1 in 6 Canadian children face food insecurity every day, this drove me to found Feeding Canadian Kids. I am confident that our strong network of partners and volunteers will empower us to address this pressing issue.”

Steven Pelton, Director
President and Chief Executive Officer and Director, Second Cup Coffee Co.

As of June 5, 2019, Steven Pelton is Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Franchisor. Prior to being appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, Steven was one of the co-founders and Chief Executive Officer of the Landing Group, a Southern Ontario based upscale casual restaurant concept, operating Williams Landing, Hunters Landing and Harpers Landing. In December 18, 2014, Mr. Pelton sold the Restaurant entity to Recipe Unlimited, formerly known as Cara Operation Limited. Steven joined Recipe Limited and continued to oversee the Landing Restaurants and additional brands, Milestones and Bier Markt until May of 2019.

Steven is vastly experienced in the food services business and large company environments and with this, he paired Feeding Canadian Kids with its founding restaurant partners, the Landing Restaurants who continue to provide healthy dinners to children throughout the GTA. This, in combination with being a father and knowing the pressures of providing for a family, has Steven’s head and heart well aligned with the mission of Feeding Canadian Kids.

Julia Miller Black, Director of Fundraising
Our Director of Community Connections and Fundraising

Julia Miller Black is the Program Director at the LesLois Shaw Foundation. Julia is actively involved in building stronger communities in Toronto and internationally through her leadership at LesLois Shaw Foundation, a private foundation, based in Toronto, focused on education and gender equality.

As a Board member of Feeding Canadian Kids, a Policy and Stakeholder Committee Member for Covenant House, a Steering committee member of the Youth Funders Network and a previous Teen Healthy Relationship committee member of the Canadian Women’s Foundation, Julia is passionate about supporting child development and overall wellbeing; combatting food insecurity is the first step toward achieving this.

Gina Faturos
Our Secretary & Treasurer

Gina Faturos is a Case Worker with the Ontario Disability Support Program. As she works directly with persons in need and is a busy working mother, Gina’s specialty with Feeding Canadian Kids will be ensuring we keep the needs of the children, their families and communities our top priority. Gina has also served as a volunteer Board Member of the Playhouse Childcare Centre and has witnessed first-hand the need to combat child hunger. As a founding Board member of the Live to Give Relief Organization, Gina has always made time to volunteer as a Director in the areas of Fundraising and with her strong organizational skills she will be our Board’s Secretary and Treasurer. Gina realized when she became a mother that being a good role model was crucial to her children’s development and to better serve underprivileged Canadians.