‘I just didn’t want to live anymore’; Kamloops resident turned his life around with the help of The Mustard Seed

KAMLOOPS — This is Giving Tuesday, a day that encourages people to do good and consider donating to a social agency working to make the community a better place. John Clayton is a Kamloops resident who had his life changed for the better with the help of a non-profit organization.

“I’ve been an addict throughout most of my life,” he told CFJC Today.

John tried drugs for the first time when he was 12 and struggled with substance abuse for 39 years. After losing everything and ending up on the streets, he couldn’t take it anymore.

“I came to a point where — I mean, when I first started using substances, it was all about partying and hanging out with people. It got to a point where I literally couldn’t live without the drugs. I just didn’t want to live anymore because I just couldn’t deal with life. I couldn’t handle it,” John remembered.

After reaching rock bottom, he decided to get help — and that’s when The Mustard Seed got involved in his life.

“I was sitting in the day room, having lunch. I got to talking to this this guy Andy, super nice guy,” he recalled. “I got telling him my story and he was just at the time volunteering in the Men’s Recovery Centre. I met the manager and I got accepted in right away, which is really cool.”

The Mustard Seed is a non-profit organization. Its goal is to support people experiencing homelessness or living in poverty. John is a graduate from the Men’s Recovery Program.

“This is a 12-step program. There’s one-on-one coaching with the manager and it’s all about community living, right? Living with other people who are going through the same situation that you are, so working toward the same goals,” explained Katie Hutchins, the community engagement and volunteer services manager with The Mustard Seed.

It was a challenging process for John, who had to abandon an addictive lifestyle for sobriety.

“In the beginning it was really tough because, you know, trying to come off of the drugs was really tough. Every day that I’d wake up, I would tell myself, ‘Just for today, I don’t have to use.’ And I started doing it every day that I would wake up,” he said.

After being sober for 21 months, John hopes to inspire more people to seek help.

“Today, I’m a functioning member of society, and before it was just a matter of watching life, just kind of pass by. It was tough. I have got a lot of gratitude today.”

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During Giving Tuesday, The Mustard Seed is gathering donations to support its meal program. The local goal is to provide 11,000 meals for the month of December.

“Any funds will go toward those meals,” said Hutchins. “It’s also just a way to kick-start the giving season, right? It’s a really good thing for a lot of non-profits. The last few months are really important and we see a lot of need in those times. Giving Tuesday is a really good way to kickstart that. It is one day, but you can continue to give after that day.”